Comparison of tibialis anterior muscle electromyography, ankle angle, and velocity when individuals post stroke walk with different orthoses

Background: Ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) have been used to improve the gait of individuals post stroke, but their use has come into question secondary to increased understanding of motor re-learning. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a change in tibialis anterior muscle electromyography, ankle angle, or gait velocity when individuals post stroke walk with a posterior leaf-spring AFO (PLAFO) or a dynamic ankle orthosis (DAO). Study Design: Repeated measures. Methods: Fifteen participants post stroke walked without an orthosis, with a PLAFO, and with a DAO. Data were gathered using electromyography, force plates, and three-dimensional motion analysis cameras. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to test for statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05). Results: Participants exhibited significantly less tibialis anterior muscle electromyography during the swing phase of gait with use of a DAO (p