Effect of providing ankle-foot orthoses in patients with acute and subacute stroke : A randomized controlled trial

Despite frequent application of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), little scientific evidence is available to guide AFO-provision early after stroke. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to study the effects of AFO-provision in (sub-) acute stroke patients. Primary aim: to study effects of the actual provision of AFOs on functional outcomes. Secondary aim: to study whether the point in time at which an AFO is provided (early (week 1) or delayed (week 9)), influences these effects. Thirty-three subjects were included and walking speed, balance (Berg Balance Scale, BBS) and independence of walking (Functional Ambulation Categories, FAC) were measured. Positive effects of AFO-provision were found two weeks after provision, both when provided early (significant effects on all outcome measures) or late (BBS p = 0.011, FAC p = 0.008). Comparing the early and delayed group showed that early provision resulted in extra improvements on BBS (+5.1 points, p = 0.002) compared to late provision.