What is the effect of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on the dynamic balance and walking capacity in stroke patients?

Abstract

Abstract Background Drawing conclusions out of articles is difficult because the results of studies with regard to the effects of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on dynamic balance and walking capacity in patients with stroke are inconsistent. It is not known which are the specific effects on these parameters and when an AFO should be prescribed. Therefore it seemed useful to carry out a review of the literature. Method A systematic literature search has been performed in Pubmed and Web of Knowledge databases concerning articles which investigated the dynamic balance and walking capacity in stroke patients, comparing no AFO with an AFO. Results The search resulted in 132 articles. 21 Articles were found double and a total of 101 articles were excluded based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ten articles were included and additional seven were added from reference lists and related articles on Pubmed. When comparing no AFO with AFO, significant effects on TUG, BBS, mEFAP and FAC scores were found, although there were inconsistent results found in some articles. Further, significant effects on walking capacity were found for the 6MWT, 25ftW and 10mWT, in favour of the AFO. Discussion and conclusion Little is known about the effects of an AFO based on the severity of patients. Further, a variety of different types of AFO are used so therefore the specific effects on balance and walking are inconclusive. A clear classification of different types of AFO is lacking. Further research on these concerns is necessary. Goal To