In Brief:
Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, generally results in bilateral lower limb weakness distal to the knees. In many cases, ankle musculature weakness requires orthotic treatment. This case study compared the function of silicone ankle-foot orthoses (SAFOs) to thermoplastic posterior leaf spring AFOS (PLS-AFOs) in a subject with CMT Type IX. Overall, the results of this study indicated that both AFO designs improved gait compared to wearing shoes alone, but that the greatest degree of improvement occurred with the PLS-AFOs despite greater restriction in ankle range of motion.
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