A study conducted by researchers in Japan found that an AFO that used an oil damper (AFO-OD) decreased preswing time and increased the positive ankle joint power effect on the gait of poststroke patients with hemiparesis after immediate-term use. The researchers concluded that their findings show AFO-ODs have “potential as a therapeutic device” for such patients.
The gait of eight stroke patients in the chronic phase was first measured using a 3D motion analysis system when they were not wearing any AFO, before using the AFO-OD. Their gait was again measured with and without the AFO-OD after three weeks of use. Differences in gait were compared between the three measurement conditions, and the use of an AFO-OD was found to provide significant gait improvements.
The study was published online on January 27 in the journal Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
