Abstract
The ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) prescribed for patients with stroke are often casted with the patient in a sitting position in a chair. However, during actual usage, the AFO is often used in a weight-bearing or standing position. Therefore there may be an issue of AFO compatibility. In the present study, we investigated the differences between AFO casted in a standing position (standing-AFO) and that casted in a sitting position in a chair (sitting-AFO) in healthy adult females, by examining the balance, lower limb alignment and foot pain while in a standing position. The results showed that the standing balance was stabilized and the arch height ratio was reduced when wearing a standing-AFO compared to wearing a sitting-AFO. Furthermore, foot pain tended to be reduced when wearing a standing-AFO. These results suggest the importance of considering the casting position during fabrication of AFO.
