Abstract
The ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) with oil damper, GaitSolution (GS), was previously developed to make heel rocker function possible during the gait of hemiplegic patients. To clarify the characteristics of patients who show adaptation to GS use, a questionnaire was completed by the clinicians responsible for 99 patients with hemiplegia who participated in this study. Clinicians completed items concerning gait data of patients without AFO use and with GS use, adaptation to the use of GS, and patient opinion of GS use. Approximately 60% of patients achieved heel rocker function during the loading response of the paretic limb and improved gait when using GS. A comparison of the patients whose gaits were improved by GS more than by other AFOs revealed the use of GS was well suited to the gait of patients with a relatively higher Brunnstrom stage and a slightly flexed knee joint during the stance phase. Approximately 60% of patients reported feeling comfortable using GS, although patient comfort did not necessarily coincide with the results of gait assessment by clinicians. Patient comfort mainly depended on trunk posture and hip joint outward rotation; hip joint outward rotation could be improved using GS in the recovery phase but not in the maintenance phase. This result implies the importance of gait training in the early stage of rehabilitation.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Prof. K. Hachisuka of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health Fukuoka, Japan, for valuable advice regarding questionnaire design. We also thank the many patients who participated in this study, and the clinicians and orthotists of Kawamura Co., who fabricated GaitSolution, for their collaboration. This study was financially supported by the New Energy and Technology Development Organization of Japan.
Declaration of interest: The authors are unaware of conflicts of interest related to this work or the manuscript.