Investigation of the effects of unilateral and bilateral ankle-foot orthosis on balance, gait, performance and daily living activities in hemiplegic patients

The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of unilateral and bilateral Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) on balance, gait, performance and daily living activities in hemiplegic patients. 38 cooperative individuals with a mean age of 59.16±12.99 years and lower extremity stage 3 and above in Brunnstrom staging were included in the study. Individuals were divided into two groups: bilateral and unilateral AFO. The groups were evaluated as those with AFO before treatment and those with AFO after 6 weeks. All patients continued their conventional treatment along with the use of AFO for a period of 6 weeks. In individuals; One Leg Standing Test to measure static balance, Berg Balance Scale (BDS) and Timed Up and Go Test (ZKYT) to evaluate dynamic balance, 10 Meter Walk Test (10MYT) to measure walking speed, 1 Minute Walk Test (to evaluate walking distance) 1MWT) and the Functional Independence Scale (FBI) were used to measure independence in daily living activities. As a result of the data obtained, when the pre-treatment and post-treatment evaluations of the groups were examined, improvements in functional independence, static and dynamic balance, walking speed and walking distance were observed in favor of post-treatment (p<0.001). When the groups with unilateral and bilateral AFO were compared in terms of these parameters, the groups were found to be similar (p>0.05). As a result, it was determined that the use of unilateral AFO and bilateral AFO had the same effects in terms of balance and gait in hemiplegic patients. Further studies are needed to evaluate gait symmetry using static AFO. Keywords: : Hemiplegia, Orthosis, Ankle-Foot Orthosis, Bilateral, AFO.