Postural Control and Ankle Foot Orthotics
Recent research studied the effects of ankle foot orthotics on trunk postural control and lower limb coordination in 20 children (ages 4-12) with and without cerebral palsy. The results of tridimensional trunk kinematics and thigh, shank, and foot elevation angles while walking barefoot and with ankle foot orthotics indicated the following:
- significantly greater trunk excursions in children with cerebral palsy compared to
typically developing children in both conditions - when wearing ankle foot orthotics, increased trunk frontal angular velocity was seen in children with cerebral palsy whereas typically developing children showed increased trunk frontal displacement
- no significant changes in trunk displacement and angular velocity were recorded in the sagittal plane in either group
- significant changes in shank and foot elevation was seen in both groups when wearing the ankle foot orthotics
Reference: Degelean M, De Borre L, Salvia P, Pelc K, Kerckhofs E, De Meirleir L, Cheron G, Dan B. Effect of ankle-foot orthoses on trunk sway and lower limb intersegmental coordination in children with bilateral cerebral palsy. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2012 Jan 1;5(3):171-9.
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