The Influence of Rocker Bar Ankle Foot Orthosis on Gait in Patients with Chronic Hemiplegia.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of rocker bar ankle foot orthosis (RAFO) on the spatiotemporal characteristics of gait in chronic hemiplegic patients compared with the effect of solid ankle foot orthosis (SAFO).


METHODS
Following ethical approval, 18 patients with chronic hemiplegia, at least 6 months post stroke, were investigated in barefoot condition, with SAFO and RAFO in random sequences. Their spatiotemporal characteristics were examined by 2 force platforms and a Vicon motion analysis system.


RESULTS
There were significant changes in spatiotemporal outcome measures between barefoot condition and using SAFO and RAFO (P < .05). Compared with SAFO, RAFO resulted in significantly more step length, faster gait velocity, and less preswing time (P < .05), although no significant differences were seen regarding step width and cadence (P > .05). Furthermore, RAFO led to significant increases in hip extension and knee flexion at toe-off, whereas SAFO did not change these parameters (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Findings of the present study showed that RAFO further improves gait abilities in chronic hemiplegic patients compared with SAFO, which could be due to the positive effect of added rocker bar on push-off function during the late stance phase of gait.
Department of Orthotics & Prosthetics, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; Department of Orthotics & Prosthetics, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Farzad
F
Farmani
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Mohseni_bandpei@yahoo.com.
Mohammad-Ali
MA
Mohseni-Bandpei
Department of Orthotics & Prosthetics, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahmood
M
Bahramizadeh
Department of Orthotics & Prosthetics, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Gholamreza
G
Aminian
Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
Ali
A
Abdoli
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Paramedical Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Mohammad
M
Sadeghi-Goghari
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D061826:Foot Orthoses; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology
Rocker bar ankle foot orthosis; gait; hemiplegia; patients