Application of test-orthoses on lower extremities for determination of physical abilities and rehabilitation potential of persons with serious impairments of function of support and walking

The most numerous and most complex group of diseases which result in impairment of human function of support and walking are neuro-muscular diseases and traumas of a spine and a spinal cord. Impairments which rise as a consequence of such diseases, require effective orthotic management which will allow the patient to compensate the lost functions necessary at stable walking. For the last 15 years in Ukraine, as well as in the world, a great many of various constructions of orthoses on different levels of the lower extremity, which cover all existing pathologies, has appeared. But as practical experience of global and domestic orthotic management indicates, a significant amount of adult patients who have serious impairments of function of the lower extremities, and first of all new patients, do not use orthoses manufactured for them. The principal causes are: – Absence of comprehension by the patient, whether orthoses are necessary for him, whether he and his family can create conditions at home for his training; – Complexity of choice of an orthosis with correct functionality, made by the doctor and the orthotist. Recently in medical practice for the decision of this problem therapeutical – training orthoses or test-orthoses start to play the increasing role. More often test-orthoses are used before manufacturing of expensive orthoses, for example, knee-ankle-foot orthoses with a knee joint with electronic control. Use of such test-orthoses considerably reduces the time of orthotic management, but, unfortunately, they are not used for persons with serious pathology of lower extremities and cannot be used for determination of functional abilities of patients, especially in new ones. Therefore development of a new construction and a technique of application of test-orthoses (modular orthopedic systems) becomes an important stage in rehabilitation process of persons with serious pathological condition of a locomotor system. Purpose – to present and analyze the experience of application of new constructions of knee-ankle-foot test-orthoses for persons with impairments of functions of support and walking at the final stage of accomplishment of rehabilitation measures, namely provision with individual orthoses in hospital environment. Materials and methods. During realization of the research in the clinic of Ukrainian Research Institute for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation 28 patients (8 women and 20 men) from 21 to 50 years of age were examined, passed a course o