Patient perspectives of ankle-foot orthoses for walking ability in peripheral artery disease: A qualitative study.

Only ten of the 15 original trial patients took part, and they were mostly male with calf claudication, so the findings may not represent all people with peripheral artery disease. The study used patient interviews, not a comparison group, so it cannot show that the AFO caused the reported changes or that the AFO worked better than the walking program alone. Patients were interviewed after the 12-week program, so later use and sustained benefits relied on recall rather than ongoing measurement. The findings apply only to one carbon-fiber AFO design, not to all ankle-foot orthoses. Some patients had other lower-limb or skin conditions that affected use, so the experience was not uniform.

Dr Mays receives research funding for two PAD-related trials funded by the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center and the University of Minnesota Foundation. The other authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.

Do not read these patient reports as proof that the AFO alone improves walking in peripheral artery disease. The device was worn during a 12-week community walking program, and this qualitative study cannot separate the device from the exercise or show that it caused the reported gains.