Orthotics have been used as devices that support and stabilize the body of a person who suffers an injury resulting in fracture or amputation. New materials and computer technology have led to orthotics becoming small, light and available, with the result of their being developed as supportive equipment and assistive robots. Nowadays, orthosis uses assistive equipment as a treatment and support of human life. PSB has been used as equipment to help in the feeding of quadriplegics, and also helps in the recovery of disabled upper extremities after cerebral vascular accidents. PSB is an orthotic to facilitate function and help disabled persons carry out activities and participate in society.

Upper extremity prosthesis can be divided into cosmetic, functional, work, and myoelectric. If a device is produced without considering the needs of the user, there is the risk of deviating from the original purpose in the ADL, among which I include life at home and at work, and dropout is assumed to occur in the worst cases. Now, over 90% of upper extremity prostheses are for cosmetic purposes, when it comes to prosthetic models produced in Japan. Under these present conditions, functional and myoelectric purposes do not reach 10%. In such a situation, when choosing an appropriate prosthetic model, it is necessary to think about supporting the user’s participation in adult society, and how, if possible, the prothestic can raise QOL at the same time.

During gait training using an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), the acquisition of an able-bodied gait becomes theoretically impossible because of limited ankle motion. We hypothesized that the goal of gait training for patients using an AFO is to enable them to acquire the gait of an able-bodied individual who is fitted with an AFO rather than a normal gait. The purpose of this study was to investigate how much symmetry is maintained by comparing normal gait with AFO-fitted gait in able-bodied subjects. Ten young males participated in this study. Stance phase time and lower extremity joint angles were measured using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The symmetry of stance phase was slightly changed by fitting an AFO ; furthermore, no statistical difference in joint motion was noted, except at the ankle joint of the AFO-fitted side. The results show that even a patient who needs to use an AFO has the possibility to acquire an almost normal gait pattern on the above-mentioned symmetry in the best case. However, because a change in the normal joint’s motion compensates for the fitted joint’s restricted motion, it is possible that instruction/training focusing on this compensation would be more effective.

In recent years, prosthetic hip joints and other computer controlled sophisticated parts have been developed. However, the prosthetic hip joints that supplement the hip function of hip disarticulation amputees had not achieved a satisfactory level of functionality for young to older adults with high level of physical function. In the present study, we had the opportunity to use the Ottobock 7E9 Hip Joint. We compared the 7E9 Hip Joint with the conventionally used Ottobock 7E7 Hip Joint with respect to the effect on energy consumption and gait pattern during walking. The results of energy consumption showed that use of the 7E9 achieved gait with good efficiency. Gait pattern was changed ; the step length on the prosthetic leg side was reduced and cadence was increased. The present results suggest that the Ottobock 7E9 Hip Joint is a useful prosthetic hip joint for hip disarticulation amputees.

Child’s foot disorders have various clinical features, including deformities and functional impairments such as pain or limited joint motion. Furthermore, they have a wide variety of etiologies, such as congenital in origin or acquired, and neurological or muscular cause. In this issue we will outline the clinically important foot disorders in children, and show those clinical features, physical findings, and X-ray measurement methods. Additionally, the indications and the effects of the orthotic treatment for those foot disorders will be discussed.