Study on the design development of a multi joint ankle foot orthosis.
Eun-Hong Choi, Seong-Gil Kim, Young-Jun Shin and 2 others
PMID 30214117WHAT IT FOUND
In ten stroke patients, the Klenzak multi-joint AFO showed faster walking and higher Berg balance scores than a conventional AFO.
The study was very small and the authors say the results cannot be applied to all stroke patients.
Key findings
01The Klenzak mode of the multi-joint AFO was significantly faster than the conventional AFO and the posterior-stop mode on the 10-metre walk test: 0.31 m/s with the Klenzak mode, 0.28 m/s with the conventional AFO and 0.27 m/s with the posterior-stop mode.
02The Klenzak mode was significantly faster than the other two orthoses on the timed up and go test: 34.5 seconds with the Klenzak mode, 37.3 seconds with the conventional AFO and 37.6 seconds with the posterior-stop mode.
03Berg balance scale scores were significantly higher with the Klenzak mode than with the conventional and posterior-stop modes: 19.9 with the Klenzak mode, 19.1 with the conventional AFO and 19.2 with the posterior-stop mode.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only ten participants were studied, and the authors state the sample is too small to apply the results to all stroke patients. All participants had to walk at least 15 metres independently and had no lower-limb contracture, fracture or arthritis, so the findings may not apply to patients with more severe impairment or those restrictions. The paper does not report the order in which the AFO conditions were worn, so practice or fatigue effects cannot be ruled out.
Declared interests
This study was supported by a grant from the Business for Cooperative R&D between Industry, Academy, and Research Institute funded by the Korea Small and Medium Business Administration in 2017 (Grants No. C0483351). The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the Klenzak multi-joint AFO should be chosen for stroke patients with foot drop. Only ten participants were studied, and the authors state that the sample is too small to apply the results to all stroke patients.