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Design And Evaluation Of A Novel Ankle Joint For An Ankle Foot Orthosis For Individuals With Drop-Foot, Eileen Maya Baker
Design And Evaluation Of A Novel Ankle Joint For An Ankle Foot Orthosis For Individuals With Drop-Foot, Eileen Maya Baker
Master's Theses (2009 -)
Individuals who have had a stroke often ambulate with an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) to treat drop-foot, a common impairment preventing active ankle dorsiflexion. AFOs limit ankle plantarflexion or drop-foot, but also restrict ankle motion that introduces additional gait pathologies during ambulation. The goal of this study was to design a mechanical ankle joint for an articulated thermoplastic AFO to permit enhanced motion during stance. This novel ankle joint operated in two stages: 1) locked during swing to prevent drop-foot and 2) unlocked during stance to allow motion. This novel ankle joint was first tested with able-bodied subjects to ensure …
Functional Comparison Of Conventional Afos With The Dynamic Response Afo, Mitchell Ruble
Functional Comparison Of Conventional Afos With The Dynamic Response Afo, Mitchell Ruble
Master's Theses (2009 -)
Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) are commonly prescribed to provide stability and foot clearance for patients with weakened or injured musculature. The Dynamic Response AFO (DRAFO) was designed to improve proprioception at heel strike. The design includes a rigid outer shell with a cut out heel and a soft inner lining; it is typically aligned in plantarflexion and may incorporate external heel wedges. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the DRAFO design features and contrast its biomechanical function with that of conventional locked and articulating AFOs. The research hypotheses were: 1) DRAFO-assisted gait parameters (e.g. ankle …