Replacing canes with an elasticated orthotic-garment in chronic stroke patients - The influence on gait and balance. A series of N-of-1 trials.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of replacing canes with an elasticated orthotic-garment on balance and gait-function in chronic stroke survivors. DESIGN: Experimental, N-of-1 series with a replicated, ABC design with randomised phase duration in a home setting. PARTICIPANTS: Four cane using chronic stroke survivors (P1-4). INTERVENTIONS: Phase A (9-12 weeks) cane-walking "as usual" to establish baseline values; Phase B (9-16 weeks) intervention: orthotic-garment worn throughout the day with maximal cane-use reduction; Phase C (9-10 weeks) participant-determined follow-up: either no walking-aid, orthotic-garment or cane. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: Functional-Gait-Assessment (FGA), Secondary: Trunk-sway during walking measured as Total-Angle-Area (TAA°2) in frontal and sagittal-planes, both measured weekly. RESULTS: Visual and statistical analysis of results showed significant improvements in FGA from phase A to B in all participants. Improvement continued in phase C in P2, stabilized in P1 and P4 and deteriorated in P3. A Minimal-Clinical-Important-Difference of 6 points-change was achieved in P2 & P4. Trunk-sway reduced during walking, indicating increased stability, in two participants from phase A to B and in three participants from A to C but no TAA changes were statistically significant. In phase C participant-selected walking-aids were: P1 cane-usage reduced by 25%, P2 independent-walking with no assistive-device, S3 usual cane-usage, P4 orthotic-garment with reduced cane-usage 2-3 days-a-week, usual cane-usage 4-5 days. CONCLUSIONS: Although walking ability is multifactorial these results indicate that the choice of walking-aids can have a specific and clinically relevant impact on gait following stroke. "Hands-free" assistive-devices may be more effective than canes in improving gait-function in some patients. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV ID: NCT03642444.

The effect of crutches, an orthosis TheraTogs, and no walking aids on the recovery of gait in a patient with delayed healing post hip fracture: A case report.

Accelerated rehabilitation following hip fracture and joint replacement, including early unrestricted weight-bearing and muscle strengthening, has gained importance in hastening functional recovery and hospital discharge. The influence of walking aids on these parameters is sparsely investigated. In this case report, we document the effect of walking with crutches; an orthotic garment and strapping system, TheraTogs; and no walking aids over 3-4-week periods on walking speed, trunk sway, and muscle activity measured with electromyography (EMG). The patient was a 49-year-old female showing delayed healing following a conservatively treated avulsion fracture of the greater trochanter 12 weeks previously with a 14-year history of total hip arthroplasty. EMG analysis showed muscle activity increased with TheraTogs and decreased with crutches compared with walking with no aids. Walking speed improved at a faster rate in the TheraTogs phase than in the crutches phase and reduced in no-walking-aids phase. Mean speed (SD) for each phase was: crutches 1.11 (0.08) m/s, TheraTogs 1.35 (0.11) m/s, and no-aids 1.19 (0.14) m/s. Trunk sway increased in the crutch and no-aids phases, and became more stable in the TheraTogs phase. In this patient, function and recovery rate of all measured parameters increased more in the TheraTogs phase than the crutches or no-aids phase. This may be because muscle activity was facilitated enabling active support of recovering structures.