Ankle-Foot Orthoses affect Spatio-Temporal Gait Parameters in Foot Drop Patients

Ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) prescriptions are common for patients presenting the deficit of foot drop. The intervention aims at improving ankle-foot function and enhancing general gait quality. In this work the asymmetries in gait of foot drop patients and the effectiveness of a plastic passive AFO are investigated by means of statistical methods performed on spatiotemporal measures collected using 3D gait analysis. Step length, stance, swing and single support phases exhibited statistically significant asymmetries between the limbs, while gait cycle time and stride length were meaningfully improved by the use of the orthotic device. The variability of results, with respect to the literature, suggests that general effects of standard AFO are hardly detectable, whereas a customised prescription of the orthosis should be considered.