Effect of ankle-foot orthoses on walking efficiency and gait in children with cerebral palsy

Objective: To determine the effect of ankle-foot orthoses on walking efficiency and gait in a heterogeneous group of children with cerebral palsy, using barefoot walking as the control condition. Design: A retrospective study. Methods: Barefoot and ankle-foot orthosis data for 172 children with spastic cerebral palsy (mean age 9 years; hemiplegia: 21, diplegia: 97, and quadriplegia: 54) were compared. These data consisted of non-dimensional speed, net nondimensional energy cost of walking (NN-cost), and NN-cost as a percentage of speed-matched controls (NN-cos