Effects of carbon fiber custom dynamic orthosis proximal cuff design on foot loading during gait: A pilot study.
Kirsten M Anderson, Wesley J Gari, Sara M Magdziarz and 3 others
PMID 41668236WHAT IT FOUND
No custom dynamic orthosis cuff condition produced a clear foot-loading difference compared with walking without an orthosis.
Five able-bodied participants and one participant with prior ankle fracture were tested.
Key findings
01Compared with walking without an orthosis, the modular CDO with each cuff showed non-significant reductions in peak hindfoot force of 10% to 16%, midfoot force of 18% to 36%, and forefoot force of 21% to 28%. The CDO included a footplate, strut, and cuff, so the reductions cannot be assigned to the cuff alone.
02Peak midfoot and forefoot forces differed across the walking conditions overall, but no specific cuff-versus-no-orthosis or cuff-versus-cuff comparison reached significance.
03The ratcheting cuff condition had the largest reductions in peak hindfoot force (16%) and peak forefoot force (28%) compared with no orthosis, though these reductions were not significant and involved the whole CDO.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only five able-bodied participants and one participant with prior ankle fracture, so it cannot be generalized to patients who need a CDO. The outcomes were peak force and force impulse during walking, not pain, mobility, comfort, or patient-reported function. Post-hoc comparisons did not reach significance, so no cuff was shown to be better than another. The significant main effects for peak midfoot and forefoot forces did not identify which condition caused the difference. The paper does not state whether participants or researchers were blinded to cuff order.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the ratcheting cuff alone is the best choice for changing foot loading. The tested conditions included a footplate, strut, and cuff, and the largest reductions were not significant. The study included only five able-bodied participants and one participant with prior ankle fracture.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →