Optimizing Ankle-Foot Orthotics Prescription Using an Emulation Test-Drive Strategy

The commercial market for ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) offers such a broad array of options, yet limited evidence to guide current AFO prescription, which instead relies on clinician intuition, training, experience, and qualitative manufacturer produced guides. Thus, matching an AFO with optimal mechanical properties to the unique needs and abilities of a given patient is challenging. The inability to test-drive different designs is an unmet need that is holding back patient care, and for which a viable solution is being provided in this proposal. We propose to optimize the process of selecting the optimal AFO for a patient using an AFO emulator to adjust AFO mechanical properties in real-time via software interface, rather than using the resource-intensive trial-and-error approach currently practiced in clinical settings.