Comparative study of conventional hip-knee-ankle-foot orthoses versus reciprocating-gait orthoses for children with high-level paraparesis.

Summary:We evaluated eight children with thoracic or high lumbar-level paraparesis for metabolic performance while ambulating with custom fabricated thermoplastic hip-knee-ankle-foot orthoses (HKAFOs) and reciprocating-gait orthoses (RGOs). Seven of the eight children had myelomeningocele. Each pati