Article

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of the hinged
ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on sit-to-stand (STS) transfers in
children with spastic cerebral palsy.
Design: Before-after trial.
Setting: University-affiliated hospital.
Participants: Nineteen spastic diplegic children (age range,
2­6y).
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: The transitional movement of
STS was tested in random order with children while wearing
the barefoot and hinged AFOs. The temporal, kinematic, and
kinetic data during the task were collected by using a motion
analyzer (with 6 infrared cameras). Statistical comparison between
barefoot and hinged AFO was done with the Wilcoxon
signed-rank test.
Results: Total duration of STS transfer was significantly
shortened with the hinged AFO (P
.05). The initial knee
flexion, the initial angle, and the final angle of ankle dorsiflexion
were increased with the AFO, compared with when barefoot
(P
.05). However, the increased pelvic tilt and hip flexion
while barefoot was not reduced with the AFO. The maximal
moment and power of hip and knee joints were significantly
increased with the AFO (P
.05), whereas the maximal moment
and power of the ankle joint were not significantly
changed when wearing the AFO.
Conclusions: Although proximal compensatory strategy of
increased pelvic tilt and hip flexion did not change with the
hinged AFO, some improvements of temporal, kinematic, and
kinetic parameters were identified during the task. These findings
suggest that a hinged AFO is beneficial for STS transfer
activity for children with spastic diplegia.

Langue : ANGLAIS