Sheffler LR, Hennessey MT, Knutson JS, Naples GG, Chae J
The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on gait velocity and functional ambulation tasks in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
15 MS patients with weakness of ankle dorsiflexors and everters took part in the study. Ambulation was assessed with firstly without an AFO and then with. Outcome measures included the Timed 25 foot walk (T25FW) portion of the MS functional composite and the five trials of the Modified Emory Functional Ambulation Profile (mEFAP).
Mean timed differences of T25FW and mEFAP with AFO and with no device showed no statistically significant differences. No improvements in task completion time were found through using the AFO.
American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,2008, 87(1), 26-32