Original Research Article
Year: 2023 | Month: March | Volume: 13 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 285-296
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20230332
Efficiency of Articulated Dorsiflexion Assisting Tone Reducing Ankle Foot Orthosis in Improving Gait in Persons with Hemiplegia as Compared to Solid Ankle Foot Orthosis
Gauri Devdas Panse1, Urmila Naukudkar2
1BPO, MPO Rehabilitation Central Registration No-A57305 Presently Working as an Assistant Professor at MGM Institute’s University Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Kamothe Navi Mumbai
2BPO, MPO Rehabilitation Central Registration No-A05450 Presently Working as a Senior Prosthetist at Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics, All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mumbai, India
Corresponding Author: Gauri Devdas Panse
ABSTRACT
Stroke is the primary cause of impairment in the motor function and gait of adults. In patients with hemiplegia due to stroke, they may experience muscle stiffness, spasms, pain, and spasticity in the affected limb(s). This may lead to abnormal positioning of the affected side, making it difficult to perform daily activities and increasing the risk of them developing muscle contractures, osteoarthritis, and muscle atrophy. Spasticity is one of the most common impairments that takes place after stroke, and may lead to impaired function and harmful effects including: pain, muscle contractures, poor skin hygiene, difficulty with voluntary movements, and problems with gait. Major deficit in hemiplegic gait is the plantar-flexed position the foot and extension of the knee, throughout the swing phase of the gait cycle. Foot clearance and stability issues can lead to fall risk, while abnormal joint kinematics can lead to joint damage
During rehabilitation, most prescribed AFOs are Solid ankle foot orthosis (AFO) and Articulated AFO; however, no study is done on Articulated Dorsiflexion Assist TRAFO effect in persons with hemiplegia in India. Solid ankle foot orthosis provides knee stability; eliminate excessive plantar flexion by limiting the normal ankle motion which compromises the normal gait pattern. Hence knee stability is achieved by blocking the available motion at the ankle joint. The Dorsiflexion Assisting Articulated AFO aids in ankle dorsiflexion and control the hyperextension of the knee without blocking motion at the ankle joint.
Tone Reducing AFO helps to reduce muscle tone by means of stretching of muscle which inhibits reflex pattern. Combination of Articulated Dorsiflexion Assist and Tone Reducing Feature will help to achieve biomechanically efficient gait pattern in persons with hemiplegia.
The results of this study will help the clinicians for the prescription of correct design of AFO in Rehabilitation of persons with hemiplegia and guiding future research studies on this subject, which is still incompletely defined in the literature.
Key words: Stroke, Hemiplegia, Tone reducing ankle foot orthosis, Dorsiflexion assist, Spasticity