Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, St. Vincent Hospital, Korea | [b] Department of Physical Therapy, Gyeong-in Rehabilitation Center Hospital, Korea | [c] Department of Rehabilitation Technology, Hanseo University, Korea
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Kang Seong Lee, Department of Rehabilitation Technology, Hanseo University, 46 Hanseo 1-ro, Haemi-myun, Seosan-si 356 706, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. Tel.: +82 10 4418 0170; Fax: +82 41 660 1580; E-mail: cpo114@hanseo.ac.kr.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The feet make the initial contact with the ground when walking and critically control both posture and gait. Claw toe, a structural change in the foot that may develop after stroke, triggers functional changes affecting both the lower limbs and balance. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the effects of a toe spreader on foot pressure and gait in chronic stroke patients. METHODS: We enrolled 25 stroke patients. We used Gaitview AFA-50 and GAITRite instruments to measure plantar pressure distribution and gait with and without a toe spreader. RESULTS: The average and rear foot pressures increased somewhat when a toe spreader was used. However, the differences were not significant in post hoc tests. In terms of gait, all variables significantly improved when the toe spreader was used. CONCLUSIONS: A toe spreader may improve overall gait and spatiotemporal gait parameters in chronic stroke patients.
