The influence of ankle-foot orthosis stiffness on walking performance in individuals with lower-limb impairments

摘要

Background: Passive-dynamic ankle-foot orthoses utilize stiffness to improve gait performance through elastic energy storage and return. However, the influence of ankle-foot orthosis stiffness on gait performance has not been systematically investigated, largely due to the difficulty of manufacturing devices with precisely controlled stiffness levels. Additive manufacturing techniques such as selective laser sintering have been used to successfully manufacture ankle-foot orthoses with controlled stiffness levels. The purpose of this study was to use passive-dynamic ankle-foot oithoses manufactured with selective laser sintering to identify the influence of orthosis stiffness on walking performance in patients with lower-limb neuromuscular and musculoskeletal impairments.