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| Orthotics Index | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| An Investigation of Foot Alignment and Support in Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) Changes in the angular attitude of the tibia and the foot plate length of an Ankle Foot Orthosis may alter the moments occurring at the knee during walking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect on gait of AFO ankle alignment and foot-plate length in people with hemiplegia following stroke. More ... Principal Investigators: Steven Gard, PhD and Dudley Childress, PhDProject Director: Stefania Fatone, PhD Co-Investigators: Funded by: Veterans Administration Merit Review An Investigation of Ankle Joints for Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) Ankle Foot Orthoses compromise or only partly restore function of the ankle-foot complex in stance and functional evaluation of orthotic ankle joint configurations has been limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of different orthotic ankle joint configurations at restoring function of the ankle-foot complex during gait in people with hemiplegia following stroke. More ... Principal Investigator: Steven Gard, PhD Co-Investigators: Funded by: Veterans Administration Merit Review Pilot Study: Evaluation of Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) using Roll-over Shapes Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) are among the most commonly prescribed categories of lower-limb orthoses, and they have proven to be effective clinically in enhancing the function of the ankle-foot complex (Bowker et al., 1993). Although thermoplastic AFOs are the most common type of orthosis in the U.S. today (Whiteside et al., 2000), objective functional analyses are limited. Because able-bodied subjects appear to use roll-over shape as a goal for the ankle-foot complex during walking, it seems that this may also be a logical objective for orthotic ankle-foot systems. More ... Principal Investigator: Steven Gard, PhD Co-Investigators: Funded by: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Pilot Investigation of the Functional Benefits of Stance Control Orthotic Knee Joints Traditional orthotic knee joints utilized in knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) are either locked or unlocked, depending upon the level of support required. Recently, new orthotic knee joints that allow stance phase control have become available. In the stance-control mode, these joints provide stance phase knee stability while allowing knee flexion during swing. Since there is minimal research examining these devices, the purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical and energetic effects of using a stance-control orthotic knee joint. More ... Principal Investigator: Steven Gard, PhD Co-Investigators: Funded by: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Preliminary Quantitative Gait Analysis of Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (RGO) Users This project studies the motions and associated energy consumption of Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (RGO) users. The energy cost of walking in an RGO is very high, and we wish to find ways to reduce this cost. More ... Principal Investigator: Steven Gard, PhD Co-Investigator: Funded by: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Effect of Ankle Joint Misalignment on Calf Band Movement in Ankle-Foot Orthoses Accurate alignment of anatomical and mechanical joint axes is one of the major biomechanical principles pertaining to articulated orthoses, yet knowledge of the potential effects of axis misalignment is limited. The purpose of this project was to model the effects of systematic linear (proximal-distal and anterior-posterior) misalignments of single axis mechanical ankle joints in an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) in order to determine the degree and direction of calf band travel that would occur over a functional range of motion. More ... Principal Investigator: Steven Gard, PhD Co-Investigator: Funded by: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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