The Effect of Modified Floor Reaction Ankle Foot Orthoses on Walking Abilities in Children with Cerebral Palsy

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified floor reaction ankle foot orthosis (FRAFO) design on gait performance in children with cerebral palsy.
Eight children with cerebral palsy wore a modified FRAFO bilaterally for six weeks. Motion analysis was used to assess the immediate effectiveness of the orthosis on improving gait and also following six weeks of gradual orthosis use. Primary outcome measures were walking speed, cadence and stride length, plus hip, knee and ankle joint ranges of motion. A paired T test was used to compare primary outcome measures.
Cadence, stride length and walking speed were all significantly increased when the children wore the modified FRAFO (P = Children with cerebral palsy can benefit from an improvement in gait parameters when walking with a modified FRAFO.