A team of researchers analyzed the effectiveness of AFOs and KAFOs in walking, balance maintenance, spasticity, and quality of life improvement during rehabilitation in children affected by cerebral palsy (CP). The hypothesis was that the use of orthoses could lead to improvements in motor function compared to nonuse.
The researchers conducted a systematic review that included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the use of AFOs and KAFOs in combination with rehabilitation methods or not. They also reviewed studies mentioning walking, balance, muscle length, and quality of life as outcomes.
From 1,484 results, 11 RCTs were included, which comprised 442 participants. Six studies investigated the domain of walking, four studies investigated the domain of balance, and two studies investigated how KAFO and AFO orthoses could improve and prevent muscle contractures.
Results from the included studies showed a general improvement in motor functions, walking, and balance when braces are worn compared to nonuse, the researchers concluded. Despite this, they suggested that further RCTs with less heterogeneous kinds of orthoses, shared outcome measures, and a lower risk of bias are still necessary to perform a metanalysis and draw conclusions that establish whether AFOs and KAFOs are useful or not in combination with rehabilitation in improving the investigated domains.
The open-access study, “Efficacy of lower limb orthoses in the rehabilitation of children affected by cerebral palsy: A systematic review,” was published in the journal Children.
