Effects of an anterior ankle-foot orthosis on walking mobility in stroke patients: get up and go and stair walking.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of an anterior ankle-foot orthosis (AAFO) on walking mobility in stroke patients.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional and repeated-measures study design.

SETTING

A university's neurologic rehabilitation department.

PARTICIPANTS

Ambulant stroke patients (N=21).

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Walking mobility was measured by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and the Timed Up and Down Stairs (TUDS) test. The paired t test was used to determine the difference between the mobility performances measured with and without the AAFO.

RESULTS

There were significant differences between mobility performances with and without an AAFO in the TUG test (P=.038) and the TUDS test (P=.000).

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports the effect of an AAFO on walking mobility in stroke patients. The findings demonstrate that stroke patients wearing an AAFO may ambulate with greater speed and safety on level surfaces and stairs.