Article

We retrospectively assessed the effect of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on the foot
progression angle (FPA) of 97 children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) who had
undergone comprehensive computer-based gait analysis both barefoot and with their
orthosis, during the same session. The physical examination results and the gait
study temporal and kinematic parameters comprise the study data. We focused on
the peak FPA reached during stance and swing phases and at mid-stance and
mid-swing, and also measured the transverse rotations of the pelvis, the femur
and the tibia. AFOs improved gait, as reflected by improved temporal parameters,
but they also increased internal rotation of the feet in diplegic CP children by
4.29 degrees for mid-stance, and by 3.72 degrees for mid-swing. The correlation
between components of the rotational profile and FPA was significant for the
diplegic group. AFOs did not produce any noteworthy differences between walking
barefoot and walking with the brace in the hemiplegic group in what concerns FPA.
Children with diplegic CP who use AFOs walk with increased internal FPAs in their
orthoses. These findings might be explained by anatomical attributes as well as
dynamic features during gait.
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Langue : ANGLAIS