Discussion
spasticity, stroke, orthosis, AFOs, peripheral neuropathy
STROKE, PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, CEREBRAL PALSY
To our knowledge, this is the first study of a helical-shaped ankle–foot orthosis (hAFO) designed to reduce foot drop and improve medial–lateral stability of the ankle in individuals with peripheral neuropathy or NMD, with no spasticity. The results showed that the helical orthosis increased functional gait distance (6MWT) and functional mobility (TUG test performance time) statistically significantly and considerably more than the posterior leaf spring orthosis. Furthermore, the kinematic and kinetic analyses showed that the hAFO allowed more physiological ankle mobility whilst providing some lateral stability, which was not the case for the plsAFO. Participants’ rating of satisfaction was significantly higher with the hAFO than the plsAFO.The majority of studies performed to evaluate AFOs have been conducted in individuals with stroke or cerebral palsy, and a much smaller number have been conducted in people with peripheral neurological or neuromuscular conditions [