Effects of an Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Gait While Performing an Attention Demanding Task

Effects of an Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Gait While Performing an Attention Demanding Task in People With Poststroke Hemiplegia

We hypothesize that: (1) gait stability will be increased when wearing an ankle-foot orthosis (plastic brace supporting the foot and ankle); (2) an attention demanding task will decrease gait stability and (3) the improvement in gait stability due to ankle-foot orthosis use will be greater during an attention demanding task.

A quasi-experimental, randomized 2 x 2 factorial within subjects study with the factor of walking condition (2 levels, walking with and without ankle-foot orthotic device) and attention condition (2 levels, walking with and without attention task).

Inclusion Criteria:

• be over the age of 18;
• have the presence of hemiplegia after stroke;
• be wearing an ankle-foot orthosis for at least 6 weeks;
• be able to walk independently and comfortably for a minimum distance of 12 m with or without assistive aids (AFOs, canes and walkers);
• be able to read and understand English, follow verbal instructions and provide verbal answers to questions;
• be able to reach criterion on the attention task (described below)
• be competent to give informed consent as determined by clinical team and noted in the health chart

Exclusion Criteria:

• have history of balance deficits not related to stroke;
• be at high risk of falling during the study;
• suffer from severe aphasia or dementia as determined by health chart and/or initial cognitive screening using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test.