The impact of ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO) use on the compensatory stepping response required to avoid a fall during trip-like perturbations in young adults: Implications for AFO prescription and design

Wearing a back-support exoskeleton impairs single-step balance recovery performance following a forward loss of balance – An exploratory study

“…Whole body kinematics, ground reaction forces, and loadcell forces were collected during balance recovery trials. Reflective markers (n=33) and four rigid marker clusters (Park et al, 2022) were sampled at 120 Hz using a 13-camera optical motion capture system (Qualisys, Inc., Gothenburg, Sweden), then low-pass filtered (6 Hz cutoff; 4 th -order Butterworth; bidirectional) (Nevisipour and Honeycutt, 2020).…”

Occupational arm-support and back-support exoskeletons elicit changes in reactive balance after slip-like and trip-like perturbations on a treadmill

“…Trip-like perturbations resulted in a forward loss of balance, similar to a trip while walking over-ground, and typically require forward stepping and torso/hip height control for recovery. These perturbations were identical to those used elsewhere (e.g., Dusane and Bhatt, 2020;Nevisipour and Honeycutt, 2020). The use of treadmill perturbations, rather than multiple slips and trips while walking, provided greater experimental control over perturbation initial conditions and severity.…”

Wearable Haptic Feedback System for Training Propulsion Force in Individuals with Solid Ankle Foot Orthosis: Development and Validation

“…nkle foot orthoses (AFOs) are frequently prescribed as a rehabilitation device to assist stroke patients with weak ankle power [1]. Solid AFOs help prevent foot drops, minimizing foot drags and subsequent falls due to reduced toe clearance by supporting the ankle at a 90-degree during the swing phase [2], [3]. However, the fixed ankle of solid AFO restricts 'ankle strategy' to generate the push-off power burst by limiting ankle range of motion and plantarflexion output during pre-swing [4], [5].…”