The Influence of Rocker Bar Ankle Foot Orthosis on Gait in Patients with Chronic Hemiplegia

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 25(8):2078-82

Farzad Farmani, PhD, Mohammad-Ali Mohseni-Bandpei, PhD, Mahmood Bahramizadeh, PhD, Gholamreza Aminian, PhD, Ali Abdoli, MD, Mohammad Sadeghi-Goghari, PhD

 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2016.02.021

 

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of rocker bar ankle foot orthosis (RAFO) on the 
spatiotemporal characteristics of gait in chronic hemiplegic patients compared with the 
effect of solid ankle foot orthosis (SAFO).

 Methods

Following ethical approval, 18 patients with chronic hemiplegia, at least 6 months post stroke, 
were investigated in barefoot condition, with SAFO and RAFO in random sequences. Their 
spatiotemporal characteristics were examined by 2 force platforms and a Vicon motion analysis 
system.

Results

There were significant changes in spatiotemporal outcome measures between barefoot condition 
and using SAFO and RAFO (P < .05). Compared with SAFO, RAFO resulted in significantly more step 
length, faster gait velocity, and less preswing time (P < .05), although no significant differences were 
seen regarding step width and cadence (P > .05). Furthermore, RAFO led to significant increases in 
hip extension and knee flexion at toe-off, whereas SAFO did not change these parameters (P < .05).

Conclusion

Findings of the present study showed that RAFO further improves gait abilities in chronic hemiplegic 
patients compared with SAFO, which could be due to the positive effect of added rocker bar on 
push-off function during the late stance phase of gait.

Key Words:
Rocker bar ankle foot orthosis, gait, patients, hemiplegia