Effects of Removable Ankle-Foot Orthosis in Chronic Patients With Hemiplegia During Gait Training: A Pilot Study

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the removable ankle-foot orthosis (RAFO) which was developed to improve the gait of stroke patients. The subjects of this study were five stroke patients who agreed to participate in this study by signing a written consent form. To verify gait improvement after wearing the orthosis, a Timed Up and Go test and Functional Gait Assessment were performed, and spatiotemporal gait variables such as gait speed, cadence, stride length, double limb support, and the efficient gait test of body sway angle were performed. For every variable, the differences prior to and after wearing the RAFO were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Every gait variable improved significantly after wearing the RAFO compared to prior to wearing it. The pilot study will enhance future efforts to evaluate orthotic function objectively during gait in stroke patients.