Happy
St. Patrick’s Day List Serve!
The
Gait Society’s scientific liason, Shane Wurdeman, has posted the next article
addition to the Journal Club discussion board.
Check it out!
Spring-like Ankle Foot Orthoses reduce the energy cost of
walking by taking over ankle work.
Bregman,
D.J., Harlaar, J., Meskers, C.G.M., de Groot, V. (2012) Spring-like Ankle
Foot Orthoses reduce the energy cost of walking by taking over ankle work. Gait
& Posture. 35: 148-153.
Shane
posted an excellent summary:
“In
this article, the authors look to investigate whether “spring-like
AFO’s” contribute to reduced energy expenditure when walking in patients
with CNS disorders (i.e. MS and stroke). This population is chosen since these
individuals have reduced push-off in late stance. They had 10 subjects complete
gait analysis and metabolic energy expenditure analysis during walking with and
without the AFO.”
“Hopefully,
all the orthotists/prosthetists reading this quickly noticed the problem of-
what is a “spring-like AFO”? This is such a broad statement it is
hard to pull what type of AFO seems to be of benefit, which is clinically
important. Regardless, the results are encouraging as they do support what many
orthotists believe, specifically that we are reducing the energy expenditure
required for our patients when we fit them with an AFO.”
Shane’s
full summary can be found by clicking the link provided to log in
and go directly to the Journal Club Discussions. http://gait-society.ning.com/page/article-11-new.
The article can be accessed by clicking the PDF link directly below the article
reference.
Take a moment to read the article and post a comment! Shane has mentioned
some very interesting discussion points!
We would love your participation!
Registration is
required to access the site, but The Academy allows participation on the site for a
limited time prior to requiring Academy or Society membership.
To visit the Gait Society, go to: http://gait-society.ning.com/.
Elisa de Jong, CPO, LOJournal Club Chair
