Effects of an Anterior Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Postural Stability in Stroke Patients With Hemiplegia
By Chen, Chih-Kuang; Hong, Wei-Hsien; Chu, Ngok-Kiu; Lau, Yiu-Chung; Lew, Henry L.; Tang, Simon F.T.; American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 87, No. 10, pp. 815-820Publication Date: October 2008
Study evaluated the effects of an anterior leaflet ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on postural stability in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Included in the study were 21 stroke patients with hemiplegia and 10 able-bodied participants. Postural-stability measurements were acquired with the use of the SMART Balance Master, a device using two forceplates with rotation capabilities to measure vertical and horizontal shear forces at different points on the platform on which the patient stands. A sensory organization test (SOT) protocol was used as the test for postural stability, measuring the ankle strategy, maximal stability, and velocity of center-of-gravity (COG) movement under the following conditions: (1) eyes open and fixed support (EOFS), (2) eyes closed and fixed support (ECFS), (3) sway-referenced vision and fixed support (SVFS), (4) eyes open and sway-referenced support (EOSS), (5) eyes closed and sway-referenced support (ECSS), and (6) sway-referenced vision and support (SVSS). Each patient was tested with and without the anterior AFO as compared with the able-bodied participants. When wearing an anterior AFO, patients used ankle strategy to maintain postural stability in all the 6 sensory conditions. The AFO also provided stroke patients with better maximal stability under relatively challenging conditions such as SVFS, EOSS, and ECSS, but the effect was not apparent in the conditions without external perturbation (EOFS and ECFS) and the most difficult condition (SVSS). The velocity of COG movement was lowered in stroke patients when wearing the AFO, and significant differences existed in the EOFS, ECFS, ECSS, and SVSS conditions. The study concludes that, in the early stage of recovery, the use on an anterior AFO may assist stroke patients with hemiplegia to improve their postural stability.
Published by: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins (Website:http://www.lww.com)
Association of Academic Physiatrists (Web Site: http://physiatry.org )
Link to text: http://journals.lww.com/ajpmr/Abstract/2008/10000/Effects_of_an_Anterior_Ankle_Foot_Orthosis_on.5.aspx
