Long-term effects of a dynamic ankle foot orthosis on a patient with cerebral palsy following ischemic perinatal stroke – A case study

Aim. To evaluate the effects of riding for beginners (short-term) and advanced (long-term) riders with cerebral palsy on their whole mobility. The study involved 15 subjects (two girls and eleven boys). The subjects were aged from 3 to 19 years (8.73 years ± 5.85). All of the subjects had been diagnosed with a spastic form of cerebral palsy. The duration of the participation differed as follows: the advanced subjects had been riding for 1-4 years (2.66 years ± 1.16), while the beginners have been riding for two weeks (10 sessions). Group I (advanced riders) consisted of eight subjects (7 boys and 1 girl) who had therapy sessions regularly once a week and differed only in terms of the duration of their participation in the experiment. Group II (beginners) consisted of seven children (1 girl and 6 boys) who participated in only 10 riding sessions. All of the subjects were assessed according to the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and Gross Motor Function Classification System for CP (GMFCS) both before the investigation and after it. Conclusions. Ten riding lessons did not have an influence on the beginner riders with cerebral palsy gross motor functions and their gross motor function level did not change. However, in half of the advanced riders with cerebral palsy, the gross motor functions significantly improved. Meanwhile, the level of the performance of the gross motor skills in the four advanced riders increased, but this difference was not statistically significant.

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Changes in joint kinematics in children with cerebral palsy while walking with and without a floor reaction ankle-foot orthosis

Clinics ◽

10.1590/s1807-59322007000100010 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Paulo Roberto Garcia Lucareli ◽

Mário de Oliveira Lima ◽

Juliane Gomes de Almeida Lucarelli ◽

Fernanda Púpio Silva Lima

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Joint Kinematics ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽

Foot Orthosis

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Defining the Mechanical Properties of a Spring-hinged Ankle Foot Orthosis to Assess its Potential Use in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Journal of Applied Biomechanics ◽

10.1123/jab.2014-0046 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 728-731 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Yvette L. Kerkum ◽

Merel-Anne Brehm ◽

Annemieke I. Buizer ◽

Josien C. van den Noort ◽

Jules G. Becher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Knee Flexion ◽

Spastic Cerebral Palsy ◽

Gait Performance ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

The Moment ◽

Potential Use ◽

Foot Orthosis ◽

Walking Energy Cost

A rigid ventral shelf ankle foot orthosis (AFO) may improve gait in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) whose gait is characterized by excessive knee flexion in stance. However, these AFOs can also impede ankle range of motion (ROM) and thereby inhibit push-off power. A more spring-like AFO can enhance push-off and may potentially reduce walking energy cost. The recent development of an adjustable spring-hinged AFO now allows adjustment of AFO stiffness, enabling tuning toward optimal gait performance. This study aims to quantify the mechanical properties of this spring-hinged AFO for each of its springs and settings. Using an AFO stiffness tester, two AFO hinges and their accompanying springs were measured. The springs showed a stiffness range of 0.01−1.82 N·m·deg−1. The moment-threshold increased with increasing stiffness (1.13–12.1 N·m), while ROM decreased (4.91–16.5°). Energy was returned by all springs (11.5–116.3 J). These results suggest that the two stiffest available springs should improve joint kinematics and enhance push-off in children with SCP walking with excessive knee flexion.

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‘What if it were like this?’ Perception of mothers of children with cerebral palsy about the ankle‐foot orthosis of their children: A qualitative study

Child Care Health and Development ◽

10.1111/cch.12840 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mariana Ribeiro Volpini Lana ◽

Joana Pimenta Maia ◽

Anderson Antônio Horta ◽

Sérgio Teixeira da Fonseca ◽

Marcella Guimarães Assis

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽

Foot Orthosis

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Developing an Active Ankle Foot Orthosis Based on Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

ASME 2007 Summer Bioengineering Conference ◽

10.1115/sbc2007-176911 ◽

2007 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ehsan Tarkesh ◽

Mohammad H. Elahinia ◽

Mohamed Samir Hefzy

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Shape Memory Alloy ◽

Shape Memory ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Heel Strike ◽

Drop Foot ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Foot Orthosis

This paper is on development of an active ankle foot orthosis (AAFO). This device will fill the gap in the existing research aimed at helping patients with drop foot muscle deficiencies as well as rehabilitation activities. Drop foot patients are unable to lift their foot because of reduced or no muscle activity around the ankle. The major causes of drop foot are severing of the nerve, stroke, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. There are two common complications from drop foot. First, the patient cannot control the falling of their foot after heel strike, so that it slaps the ground on every step. The second complication is the inability to clear the toe during swing. This causes the patients to drag their toe on the ground throughout the swing.

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Challenges to Overcome and Scaffolding to Build on

International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching ◽

10.4018/ijcallt.2019070104 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 50-67

Author(s):

Hao Yang ◽

Zhiqiang Ma

Keyword(s):

Teacher Perceptions ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Public University ◽

Test Results ◽

Learning Behavior ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Exploratory Case Study ◽

Flipped Classrooms

While current research on the flipped classroom generally focuses on test results and (or) student/teacher perceptions as a measurement of its pedagogical efficacy, students' adaptation to it and the essential conditions for its application are rarely explored. This exploratory case study aims to rectify this by examining how university students adapted to flipped classrooms implemented in a public university in East China. The findings suggest that while the flipped model is impeded by entrenched polarity between students in terms of their learning dispositions and academic competence, students do develop a prototype of theories of learning, a sense of better self through learning from their peers and an awareness of the importance of intrinsic motivation. A gradualist approach is thus proposed for implementing flipped classrooms, which requires longitudinal studies accordingly to understand its long-term effects on learning behavior hitherto left unexplored.

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