A New Modification of KAFO for Assistance in Knee Extension
By Sarikaya, Selda; Basaran, Aynur; Ortancil, Ozgur; Balbaloglu, Ozlem; Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 67-70Publication Date: January 2007
Paper focuses on a dynamic knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) extension assisted with elastic support, which was designed to enhance stance phase stability and swing phase freedom. The most frequent causes of weakness in the quadriceps are femoral nerve damage, post-polio syndromes, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral vascular accidents. A single case is discussed in which a 27-year-old woman with complaints of muscle weakness and pain was fitted with the KAFO. The KAFO allowed for enhanced quadriceps extension with an elastic band, which was attached to the lower part of the thigh band and the upper part of the calf band. The KAFO was found to allow the woman to walk without fully immobilizing her knee. The KAFO was designed by researchers at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Zonguldak Karaelmas University in Turkey.
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Limited (Website:http://taylorandfrancis.org)
International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.isprm.org )
