flaccid paresis
Conditions
Interventions
Participants will be fitted with a new, custom-made spring-hinged AFO with the NEURO SWING® system ankle joint (Fior&
Gentz). The stiffness of the ventral and dorsal compartment of this spring-hinged AFO will be individualized using a previously developed optimization algorithm. The spring-hinged AFO with optimal&nbs
stiffness settings will be used at home for 6-weeks. For comparison, we will test the effect of three different prefab spring-like AFOs without hinge with different stiffness levels (but which have a
Sponsors
Amsterdam UMC
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: •Age 18 years or older; •Presence of plantar flexor weakness in at least one leg, determined as a score lower than 5 on the manual muscle testing scale (Medical Research Council- MRC) and/or inability to perform three single heel rises, with or without dorsiflexion weakness; •Indicated for or using an AFO; •Able to walk 6-minutes consecutively (with assistive device, if necessary).
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: •When wearing the AFO, not able to walk short bouts of 10m without walking aids, such as a walker; •Foot deformities that do not fit in the prefab spring-like AFOs; •Weakness of the knee extensor muscles, for which a knee-ankle foot orthosis is indicated
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The main outcome parameters will be the maximal ankle plantarflexion angle, ankle angular velocity and knee flexion angle during the loading response. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Secondary outcomes will include ankle power, walking energy cost, walking speed, walking and standing balance, perceived walking safety, fatigue and stability, perceived functioning, and experiences with study participation and with the NEURO SWING AFO. | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Contacts
Public ContactM.A. Brehm
Amsterdam UMC
Outcome results
None listed