Foot drop, a sign of neuromuscular damage caused by muscle weakness, is treated with approaches such as physiotherapy, surgery, and the use of technological devices. A research review analyzed different types of technologies available for the rehabilitation of foot drop, including commercial devices and proposed studies. While the studies showed that robot-based ankle-foot orthoses and functional electrical (FES) stimulation devices showed considerable improvement in the gait cycle of the patients, the researchers concluded that future trends are inclining towards FES and muscle synergies for further developments.
The research team identified 101 studies published between 2015 and 2020 for the review; 24 studies met the inclusion criteria.
The study, “Trends and Technologies in Rehabilitation of Foot Drop: A Systematic Review,” was published in Expert Review of Medical Devices.
