The standard short leg brace is attached to and exerts its forces through the patient´s shoe. Because of the motion that occurs between the shoe and foot this is an inefficient arrangement and therefore requires the application of strong forces, necessitating metal components that are heavy and have a poor cosmetic appearance. The weight, furthermore, is fatiguing to weak muscles and tends to cause rotational gait disturbances.
In an effort to decrease brace weight and improve cosmesis, a molded plastic brace has been devised that acts directly on the extremity rather than by exerting its forces indirectly through the shoe. It has been used successfully for both flaccid and spastic lower extremities, providing both medial-lateral and plantar-flexion control.
The clinical experience with plastic AFO for 20 hemiplegics, in the Deparment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Presbyterian Medical Center in Chonju for 15 months since Feb. 1983, is presented with the method of fabrication and modifications and the review of the related literature.
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