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Biomechanical and energetic effects of a stance-control orthotic knee joint

Angelika Zissimopoulos, MS, et al.

Figure 1. Helen Hayes marker setup.

Stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs), which prevent knee flexion during stance phase but allow knee flexion during swing phase, may improve function for veterans with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, quadriceps weakness, and leg paralysis or paresis, all of which are more prevalent in the aging population. Stance-control KAFOs can improve gait by eliminating the need for compensatory mechanisms such as hip hiking and circumduction and by allowing swing-phase knee flexion. The greater ease of mobility can improve quality of life.


Volume 44 Number 4 2007
Pages 503 — 514

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