Development of an Easy-fitting Ankle-foot Orthosis: A Comparison with Two Existing Orthoses

[Purpose] A prototype easy-fitting ankle-foot orthosis (EF-AFO) was constructed and its fitting time was compared with two types of existing orthoses to investigate whether or not it was easy to put on. [Subjects] The subjects were 21 healthy adults (13 males, 8 females). [Methods] The two measured items were the times taken to secure the ankle belt, and the 3 belts securing the ankle, lower leg, and instep. In addition, after the measurements, a paper questionnaire was used to evaluate ease of affixation, external appearance, heaviness, and fixation, for each of the three types of orthosis, on a 4-point scale; ease of affixation was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS). [Results] There was no significant difference between the fitting times of the EF-AFO and the easy-ring plastic AFO, but in the comparison with the conventional plastic AFO with a belt, the EF-AFO could be fitted faster. There were no significant differences among the AFOs, according to the results of the paper questionnaire; however, the VAS value showed the prototype EF-AFO was difficult to put on. [Conclusion] The prototype EF-AFO had a shorter fitting time than the conventional plastic AFO with a belt, but according to the subjective assessment, it wasn’t easy to put on.