CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ANKLE FOOT ORTHOSIS TO IMPROVE MOBILITY IN PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE

Introduction: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) restricts blood flow to the legs. Its most common manifestation is claudication, a severe impairment of physical activity produced by ischemia-related leg pain and tiredness during walking. We are conducting a trial to evaluate the possibility that an ankle foot orthosis could reduce claudication symptoms and increase the physical activity of patients with PAD. The perceptions of patients with PAD on wearing the ankle foot orthosis and how they vary by baseline physical activity level are unknown. Therefore, this study explored the perceptions of patients with PAD while using an ankle foot orthosis and if these perceptions varied by level of physical activity. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that those who are more physically active will perceive more benefits as a result of using the ankle foot orthosis. Methods: Participants (n=21) wore an ankle foot orthosis for 3 months. Baseline median step count was used to divide patients into high (n=10) or low (n=11) active groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at midpoint and post. Data were analyzed using a summative content analysis. Results: Patients averaged 3233 ± 1523 steps/day with a median of 3137 steps/day at baseline. 45% of participants’ initial responses described a positive perception of their time wearing the ankle foot orthosis. 71.4% of participants reported an overall positive impact of wearing the ankle foot orthosis, primarily being able to walk further. Comparison by baseline physical activity level revealed 36.4% of participants with low physical activity reported seeing improvements in daily tasks (walking in the grocery store) versus 10% of those with high physical activity. Conclusions: In conclusion, our interview data demonstrate that perceived quality of physical activity in patients with PAD improved with the use of the ankle foot orthosis. Contrary to our hypothesis, minimal differences in perceptions of ankle foot orthosis use were found between patients with low versus high baseline physical activity levels.

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Impact Of An Ankle-foot Orthosis On Physical Activity In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1249/01.mss.0000686528.05855.33 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 52 (7S) ◽

pp. 1005-1005

Author(s):

Mahdi Hassan ◽

Danae M. Dinkel ◽

Holly DeSpiegelaere ◽

Jason M. Johanning ◽

Iraklis I. Pipinos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Peripheral Artery Disease ◽

Peripheral Artery ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Foot Orthosis

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Implementation of an Ankle Foot Orthosis To Improve Mobility in Peripheral Artery Disease

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1016/j.apmr.2021.07.527 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 102 (10) ◽

pp. e24

Author(s):

Ayisha Bashir ◽

Dinkel Dinkel ◽

Iraklis Pipinos ◽

Sara Myers

Keyword(s):

Peripheral Artery Disease ◽

Peripheral Artery ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Foot Orthosis

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Examining Ankle Foot Orthosis Wear Time in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.682 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 211-211

Author(s):

Sara Myers ◽

Danae Dinkel ◽

Mahdi Hassan ◽

Holly Despiegelaere ◽

Jason Johanning ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Peripheral Artery Disease ◽

Assistive Device ◽

Leg Pain ◽

Accelerometer Data ◽

Peripheral Artery ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Wear Time ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Foot Orthosis

Abstract Peripheral artery disease (PAD) impacts over 8.5 million Americans and the prevalence of PAD increases with age. PAD restricts blood flow to the leg and its most common manifestation is claudication, a severe impairment of walking produced by ischemia-related, leg pain during exercise. An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) could improve these symptoms. To understand the potential impact of AFO usage, it is critical to determine wearability of the device in patients with PAD. The purpose of this study was to monitor wear time of an AFO and explore perceptions of the device. Participants (n=14) with PAD and claudication wore an AFO for three months. An accelerometer was placed directly on the AFO for 7 days and participants completed semi-structured interviews at midpoint (1.5 months) and post intervention (3 months). Based on accelerometer data at midpoint participants wore the AFO for an average of 4.9±2.3 out of 7 days and for an average of 7.5±4.2 hours each day. At post, participants wore the AFO for an average of 4.8±2.2 days for an average of 7.4±4.6 hours per day. In the interviews, almost all participants noted multiple barriers to wearing the AFO such as difficulty putting the AFO on and off, using stairs, walking on uneven ground, and driving. Our study found that participants wore the AFO ~7 hours/day but experienced barriers which may have limited their wear outside of these monitoring periods suggesting patients would wear an assistive device if design could be improved to address barriers.

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Associations of coronary and peripheral artery disease with presence, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm – a grin without a cat!

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000606 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 151-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hisato Takagi ◽

Takuya Umemoto

Keyword(s):

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm ◽

Aortic Aneurysm ◽

Peripheral Artery Disease ◽

Literature Search ◽

Systematic Literature Search ◽

Peripheral Artery ◽

Epidemiological Evidence ◽

Abdominal Aortic ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Meta Analyses

Abstract. Both coronary and peripheral artery disease are representative atherosclerotic diseases, which are also known to be positively associated with presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm. It is still controversial, however, whether coronary and peripheral artery disease are positively associated with expansion and rupture as well as presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm. In the present article, we overviewed epidemiological evidence, i. e. meta-analyses, regarding the associations of coronary and peripheral artery disease with presence, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm through a systematic literature search. Our exhaustive search identified seven meta-analyses, which suggest that both coronary and peripheral artery disease are positively associated with presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm, may be negatively associated with expansion of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and might be unassociated with rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

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