Presenter: Spencer Smith
Co-Presenters: Therese Wichmann, Shannon Pomeroy, Michael Hahn,
Faculty Mentor: Shannon Pomeroy, Michael Hahn
Presentation Type: Poster 83
Primary Research Area: Science
Major: Human Physiology
Ankle arthritis is inflammation of the articular cartilage, resulting in pain, stiffness and diminished quality of life. Ankle arthritis is often treated with a complete artificial fusion of the affected bones and removal of the damaged cartilage, which can lead to significantly altered gait and further long-term complications. Rigid ankle-foot orthotics (AFOs) have been used in similar clinical populations to stabilize the joint; however, they have been shown to retain many gait characteristics and improve stability despite limiting ankle range of motion (ROM). In order to better understand how the body adapts to such a sudden and severe limitation of ankle ROM, we performed a gait analysis on 16 healthy individuals within the lab. Each subject went through a normal baseline walking trial on the treadmill followed by a 30 minute walking trial in which they were equipped with a rigid AFO. We used motion capture cameras to collect the 3D motion of strategically placed reflective markers. Subsequently, whole-body marker position data was used to calculate and observe the subjects’ center of mass between walking without an AFO and with an AFO over time. Preliminary data analysis indicates that a rigid AFO may result in increased COM displacement with a range less than baseline following 30 minutes of AFO acclimation, suggesting that an AFO leads to return to more normal gait given an acclimation period.