• External device that is applied to provide support and improve function or assist w/ motion accross a joint or a body part (the ultimate brace: a bed)

Pros

• increase safety
• reduce pain
• improve biomechanical alighnment
• adjunct to therapy
• restore functional level

Cons

• May restric motion - causing the joints above or below the brace to work harder to produce the motion
• Increased weight to the limb
• Aesthetics - cosmetic issues
• Chang in the kinetic chain - takes re-education to lean how to walk again, PT & gait training

• Motion control
• Correct Deformity - only if the deformity is a flexible deformity with passive motion available
• Accommodate the deformity - if it is a fixed deformity
• Decrease Pain by restricting motion

• it is a solid ankle, that provides max control over the subtalar joints and talocruel joint
• it can influence the position of the knee because it has max control over motion

• Allows for more flexibility than a rigid AFO, by allowing "partial" motion througth the stance phase, even though there is no actual joint present

• Used when the goal is not to limit joint/bone translation
• Allows for motion control in the swing phase but no stance phase control

• This style has many joint placed within the brace for a selection of control options, can be fine tuned to accomodate patient needs
• ex. foot drop - can allow for toe pick up or side to side support in the coronal plane

• this brace is designed to offer knee support, w/out having to actually cross the knee joint
• it will "influence" knee support and fxn to prevent t he knee from buckling from early to midstance or early stance

What are the characteristics of a

floor reaction AFO?

• Rigid ankle
• Extended foot plate
• Pretibial Shell

What is a DAFO?

• Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthosis
• Itis designed to offer some sort of motion, w/out completely locking up a limb

What is a PRAFO

• Pressure relief AFO's - worn at night to relieve pressure and to prevent pressure sores

• a planter fascitis splint worn at night to give stretch to the DF to prevent PF when sleeping

With a KAFO design you can adjust the knee control to accommodate for various levels of orthopaedic disorders list the main characteristics for each of these controls:

• Free motion
• Locked
• Stance control

• Free motion
  • allows for free motion for knee flexion, and provides extension control up to 180 degrees
  • good for recavartum or varus/valgus deformities
• Locked
  • creates a "stiff leg" style of walking
• Stance control
  • can either be electronically controlled, or the device can use force plates, or a little camber to lock and unlock at differnt areas in the gait cycle to help mormalize the motion pattern

Describe an HKAFO design in the

sagital plane and coronal plane. 

What can be added if trunk control is necessary?

• Sagital - controls free flexion of the hip and block out hip extension
• Coronal - controls abd and add, helps to maintain the BOS (useful for pts with weak hip abductors)
• A LSO may be added to create trunk control (LSHKAFO)

What is the purpose for patella

femoral knee braces?

• a sleave toat is designed to help control patella femoral tracking
• many different designs are available

• Provide mediolateral control and allow for free motion with only limitations medially and laterally

• A hinged knee brace that allows for greater cotrol, has straps supporting the leg more on top and on bototm of the brace
• Used for ACL, PCL, and CI injuries (CI = combined instabilities)

What is the importance for an OA brace(osteoarthritis brace),

• essentially used for pain management after the joint has become bone on bone, can either support medially or laterally
• For an OA brace to be effective it need to have a long lever arm, allowing for increased surface area for it to press on

• Sort term use only  (~3-6 mo); after which they may be going into a more custom made brace, depending upon the dx and the surgery that was performed, (if requested by the MD).
• It will have adjustable joints for ROM control

For a patient with a rigid AFO,

a rocker bottom shoe can be used to:

• Assist with forward progression of the tibia
• Promote smooth rollover from heel strike to heel off

To increase stability of a floor reaction AFO,

you would need to:

Increase the PF

Add a heel lift to increase PF

Increase the DF angle to decrease hyperextension 

• Severe recurvatum
• Severe genuvarus
• Quad strength of 3- or less

• make a solid ankle AFO
• make a DF assit AFO
• make a DF stop AFO

- It has an anterior and posterior channel that you can either lock it up with, or make it into a free joint with

- Allowing for more versitility