The Efficacy of Tone-Reducing Features in Orthotics on the Gait of Children with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

Summary: This study analyzed the effects of tone-reducing features in ankle-foot orthotics (AFOs) on the gait of eight children (ages 4–11 years) with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. A standard gait analysis was performed on each subject in each of three trial orthotics and in a baseline shoes-only condition. A 4-week accommodation period was allotted for each of the three devices: a standard hinged AFO, an AFO with tone-reducing features, and a supramalleolar orthotic with tone-reducing features. Most significant differences were at the ankle, between free-ankle and plantar flexion-limiting conditions. No significant functional changes in gait were evident with the addition of tone-reducing properties to a standard articulating AFO.