Abstract
Background and Aim: Ankle joint stiffness and its range of motion (ROM) are commonly assessed to determine the appropriate mechanical characteristics required in an effective ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) prescription. The aim of this technical note is to present the design of a manual device that enables their convenient measurement in the clinical setting and to demonstrate its reliability. Technique: The manual device was designed with a torquemeter, a potentiometer, a steering wheel, a rotary plate, and a foot plate. The measurement of resistive torque at 0° (neutral), 5° (dorsiflexion) and 10° (dorsiflexion) ankle angular positions demonstrated the high reliability of the device with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) (1,k) values over 0.97. Discussion: Quantitative measurement of ankle joint stiffness and ROM by this manual device would provide objective information that could potentially assist AFO prescriptions. A future study should investigate how to incorporate the measurement obtained from the device into the prescription of an AFO.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 478-481 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Prosthetics and Orthotics International |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2011 |
Keywords
- Ankle
- Ankle-foot orthosis (AFO)
- Range of motion (ROM)
- Reliability
- Stiffness
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- Health Professions (miscellaneous)
- Rehabilitation