Article

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) have been used to improve the gait of
individuals post stroke, but their use has come into question secondary to
increased understanding of motor re-learning. The purpose of this
study was to determine if there is a change in tibialis anterior muscle
electromyography, ankle angle, or gait velocity when individuals post stroke walk
with a posterior leaf-spring AFO (PLAFO) or a dynamic ankle orthosis (DAO). STUDY
DESIGN: Repeated measures. METHODS: Fifteen participants post stroke walked
without an orthosis, with a PLAFO, and with a DAO. Data were gathered using
electromyography, force plates, and three-dimensional motion analysis cameras. A
repeated measures ANOVA was used to test for statistical significance (p </=
0.05). RESULTS: Participants exhibited significantly less tibialis anterior
muscle electromyography during the swing phase of gait with use of a DAO (p <
0.001). No change in velocity or ankle angle was exhibited with use of either
orthosis. CONCLUSIONS: The results support therapists' notions that bracing can
lead to a decline in tibialis anterior muscle activity during the swing phase of
gait. The results also showed no improvement in gait velocity when either
orthosis was used by participants who could walk without an orthosis.

Langue : ANGLAIS