A method to measure the accuracy of loads in knee-ankle-foot orthoses using conventional gait analysis, applied to persons with poliomyelitis. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation [Arch Phys Med Rehabil] Journal article | | Title | A method to measure the accuracy of loads in knee-ankle-foot orthoses using conventional gait analysis, applied to persons with poliomyelitis. | | Author(s) | Andrysek J, Redekop S, Matsui NC, Kooy J, Hubbard S | | Institution | Bloorview Research Institute, Bloorview Kids Rehab, Toronto, ON, Canada. | | Source | Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2008 Jul; 89(7):1372-9. | | MeSH | Adult
Ankle Joint
Biomechanics
Equipment Design
Female
Foot
Gait
Humans
Knee Joint
Male
Orthotic Devices
Poliomyelitis
| | Abstract | OBJECTIVES: To determine (1) the forces and moments passing through knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) during walking and (2) the accuracy with which these loads can be measured using conventional gait analysis techniques.
DESIGN: Comparative case series.
SETTING: Rehabilitation facility with human movement laboratory (gait lab).
PARTICIPANTS: Four patients with poliomyelitis wearing KAFOs.
INTERVENTIONS: KAFOs were instrumented with a load cell, and walking data were concurrently collected using conventional gait analysis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Load measurements and gait parameters.
RESULTS: Predominant orthotic loads (knee joint forces and moments) were composed of knee flexion moments and axial compression forces. With conventional gait analysis, peak knee joint moments were substantially underestimated compared with those directly measured using the load cell. Defining the knee axis anatomically versus at the orthotic axis, tracking it dynamically, and compensating for each patient's corrected knee flexion contracture resulted in considerable improvements in the gait lab estimates of knee joint moments.
CONCLUSIONS: A practical method that directly measures moments and forces in conventional KAFOs has been applied to show that conventional gait analysis techniques substantially underestimate knee joint moments in the KAFOs of persons with poliomyelitis. Underestimation of orthotic loads could result in underdesigned orthotic components and ultimately higher incidence of component failure in clinical applications. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 18586141 |
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