People with poliomyelitis would walk more normally with the new powered knee-ankle-foot orthosis developed by Mokhtar Arazpour, a researcher and faculty member at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Funded by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), the prototype of the powered knee ankle foot orthosis was developed to provide restriction of knee flexion during the stance phase and active flexion and extension of the knee during the swing phase of walking.
The tests on volunteer subjects resulted in an 18 per cent reduction in walking speed and 18 per cent shorter step length compared to walking with the traditional locked knee ankle foot orthosis. There was also a 16 per cent increase in stance phase percentage when walking with the new orthosis. The subjects also demonstrated near-normal peak knee flexion during swing and decreased hip hiking when using the powered orthosis.
The results demonstrate that the new orthosis provided a more normal gait pattern compared to a locked knee ankle foot orthosis and knee flexion and extension during swing, therefore promising a more natural walking experience for people with poliomyelitis.