Ankle-foot orthosis with oil damper fitted with a novel sole that reproduces dorsiflexion motion of the metatarsophalangeal joint improves push-off during post-stroke walking

Abstract

To improve push-off for patients after stroke, we developed a sole that can reproduce the dorsiflexion motion of the metatarsophalangeal joint. This study aimed to investigate whether this novel sole improved push-off movement in patients after stroke. Ten patients with hemiplegia who were able to walk independently participated. Two gait tasks were performed using an ankle-foot orthosis with oil damper (AFO-OD) with versus without the novel sole. Compared to the conventional AFO-OD, that with the novel sole significantly increased plantar flexion resistive torque at the ankle joint during the pre-swing phase (p＜0.01). Moreover, the high peak electromyography amplitude of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle activity during the single-stance phase significantly increased (p＜0.01). These findings suggest that the novel sole promoted suitable ankle plantar flexion and push-off movement in patients after stroke.