Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences

  The Impacts of Hinged and Solid AFOs on Standing and Walking Functions in 4-8 Year Old Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy

  H. Dalvand [1] , L. Dehghan [2] , A. Feizy [3] , M. Rassafiani [4] , S.A. Hosseini⁴

  Received: 24/11/09 Sent for Revision: 16/02/10 Received Revised Manuscript: 14/09/10 Accepted: 09/10/10

  Background and Objectives: Standing and walking are the most common activities of people on a daily basis. In children with cerebral palsy (CP), lesion in central nervous system could cause impairment in these functions. One way to improve their standing and walking functions is the use of Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs). This study was performed to compare the effects of hinged and solid AFOs on standing and walking functions in 4-8 year old children with CP spastic.

  Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental and interventional study was performed on 30 children (4-8 years old) with CP spastic in vali-Asr rehabilitation foundation of Tehran. Children were divided into 3 groups (of ten children each group) randomly groupe 1 received hinged AFO, groupe 2 solid AFO, and group 3 (control group) received no AFOs for 3 months. Standing and walking functions were evaluated by Gross Motor Function Measure-88.

  Results: There were significant differences in standing and walking functions after intervention in the 3 groups (p=0.005). There were also significant differences between the 3 groups in terms of mean differences of total scores before and after the intervention (p= 0.015). There were significant differences between the two groups hinged AFO and solid AFO and between hinged AFO group and control group, (p= 0.000), but between the two groups, solid AFO and control, there was no differences.

  Conclusions: Hinged AFO showed more improvement in standing and walking functions among children with ‍ CP spastic, and could be recommended for children with ‍ CP, especially, for those who could stand up or walk with or without assistive devices.

  Key words : Hinged and Solid Ankle Foot Orthosis, Cerebral palsy, Standing and Walking

  Funding: This research was funded partly by University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.

  Conflict of interest: None declared.

  Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences approved the study.

  How to cite this article : Dalvand H, Dehghan L, Feizy A, Rassafiani M, Hosseini SA . The Impacts of Hinged and Solid AFOs on Standing and Walking Functions in 4-8 Year Old Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2011 10(1): 25-34. [Farsi]