In Brief:
Ankle-foot orthoses designed and proposed to influence muscle tone are generally called as “tone-reducing,” “tone-inhibiting” or “dynamic” AFOs (TRAFOs, TIAFOs or DAFOs). The effects of wearing AFOs to influence muscle tone have mainly been studied in patients with cerebral palsy, stroke or head injury. Although different AFO designs exist, it appears that there is lack of evidence to demonstrate that these AFOs can actually reduce or inhibit spastic muscle tone. This paper specifically reviews the classification of patient groups recruited in previous studies, the design characteristics of AFOs, and the clinical and biomechanical effects reported.
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