TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing walking performance in patients with peripheral arterial disease
T2 - An intervention with ankle-foot orthosis
AU - Fallahtafti, Farahnaz
AU - Samson, Kaeli
AU - Salamifar, Zahra
AU - Johanning, Jason
AU - Pipinos, Iraklis
AU - Myers, Sara A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2024/7/15
Y1 - 2024/7/15
N2 - Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular condition manifesting from narrowed or blocked arteries supplying the legs. Gait is impaired in patients with PAD. Recent evidence suggests that walking with carbon fiber ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) can improve patient mobility and delay claudication time. This study aimed to employ advanced biomechanical gait analysis to evaluate the impact of AFO intervention on gait performance among patients with PAD. Patients with claudication had hip, knee, and ankle joint kinetics and kinematics assessed using a cross-over intervention design. Participants walked over the force platforms with and without AFOs while kinematic data was recorded with motion analysis cameras. Kinetics and kinematics were combined to quantify torques and powers during the stance period of the gait cycle. The AFOs effectively reduced the excessive ankle plantar flexion and knee extension angles, bringing the patients' joint motions closer to those observed in healthy individuals. After 3 months of the AFO intervention, the hip range of motion decreased, likely due to changes occurring within the ankle chain. With the assistance of the AFOs, the biological power generation required from the ankle and hip during the push-off phase of walking decreased. Wearing AFOs resulted in increased knee flexor torque during the loading response phase of the gait. Based on this study, AFOs may allow patients with PAD to maintain or improve gait performance. More investigation is needed to fully understand and improve the potential benefits of ankle assistive devices.
AB - Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular condition manifesting from narrowed or blocked arteries supplying the legs. Gait is impaired in patients with PAD. Recent evidence suggests that walking with carbon fiber ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) can improve patient mobility and delay claudication time. This study aimed to employ advanced biomechanical gait analysis to evaluate the impact of AFO intervention on gait performance among patients with PAD. Patients with claudication had hip, knee, and ankle joint kinetics and kinematics assessed using a cross-over intervention design. Participants walked over the force platforms with and without AFOs while kinematic data was recorded with motion analysis cameras. Kinetics and kinematics were combined to quantify torques and powers during the stance period of the gait cycle. The AFOs effectively reduced the excessive ankle plantar flexion and knee extension angles, bringing the patients' joint motions closer to those observed in healthy individuals. After 3 months of the AFO intervention, the hip range of motion decreased, likely due to changes occurring within the ankle chain. With the assistance of the AFOs, the biological power generation required from the ankle and hip during the push-off phase of walking decreased. Wearing AFOs resulted in increased knee flexor torque during the loading response phase of the gait. Based on this study, AFOs may allow patients with PAD to maintain or improve gait performance. More investigation is needed to fully understand and improve the potential benefits of ankle assistive devices.
KW - Ankle foot orthoses
KW - Intervention
KW - Peripheral artery disease
KW - Variability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189462023&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85189462023&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijcard.2024.131992
DO - 10.1016/j.ijcard.2024.131992
M3 - Article
C2 - 38527630
AN - SCOPUS:85189462023
SN - 0167-5273
VL - 407
JO - International Journal of Cardiology
JF - International Journal of Cardiology
M1 - 131992
ER -