AFOs are widely used to correct common gait deviations such as a foot-drop patterns in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP). A research team, noting that most studies on this topic have investigated specific time points while omitting other parts of the gait cycle, investigated the separate effects of prefabricated carbon fiber AFOs and custom-made hinged AFOs compared with barefoot walking in children with these conditions.
Twenty ambulatory children (9.9 ± 2.5 years old) were included. Kinematics, kinetics, and spatiotemporal parameters assessed during 3D gait analysis were compared between barefoot and AFO walking. Statistical parametric mapping was used to compare joint angles and moment waveforms.
According to the study, the results indicated that compared with barefoot walking, there was a steeper sole angle at initial contact, corresponding to a heel strike pattern, and an increased ankle dorsiflexion in swing with the use of both AFOs; the ankle plantarflexion moment during loading response increased; and ankle power generation during pre-swing decreased in the carbon fiber AFO group when walking with AFOs.
Both AFOs were beneficial for improving a foot-drop gait pattern and can, therefore, be recommended to treat this gait deviation in patients with unilateral CP, “However, the reduction in ankle power generation during push-off and additional goals targeted by AFOs, such as correction of structural or flexible foot deformities, should be considered for prescription.”
The study, “Efficacy of hinged and carbon fiber ankle-foot orthoses in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy and drop-foot gait pattern,” was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
