Long-term locked knee ankle foot orthosis use: A perspective overview of iatrogenic biomechanical and physiological perils.
Kamiar Ghoseiri, Audrey Zucker-Levin
PMID 37214128WHAT IT FOUND
This paper reviews potential risks of long-term locked knee ankle foot orthosis use, including increased energy expenditure, skin breakdown, and joint changes.
It does not report original patient outcomes or trial results.
What this paper is
This is a narrative overview of the potential risks associated with long-term use of locked knee ankle foot orthoses (KAFOs). It synthesizes existing literature on biomechanical and physiological concerns such as increased energy expenditure, skin issues, and joint changes. It does not report original patient data, outcomes, or a specific clinical trial result, so there are no findings here to change your practice on.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this as a study showing that locked KAFOs cause these specific harms in a tested group. It is a theoretical overview of known risks from other sources, not an analysis of new patient data.