Hi, Orlaith:
I'm not sure there are 'contraindications' to AFO's so much as there are
indications and choices of type of AFO based on what the child requires. I
work in a child development centre in Surrey, British Columbia. We use
rigid and hinged AFO's, supramalleolar orthoses, UCBL's, and heel cups. The
choice depends, among many things, on how much active and passive ROM the
child has and on the quality of muscle tone in the gastroc/soleus complex,
in tibialis posterior, and in the muscles supporting the arches of the foot.
The choice also depends on what the child is able to tolerate in terms of
correction, limitation of movement, and skin condition. It would be very
difficult to go into all of the possible biomechanical and neurological
indications for AFO's and I'm certainly not an expert. One name that does
come to mind is Beverly Cusick; you may want to look up references related
to her. I believe she has a book on use of orthotics, particularly for
children who have neuromotor diagnoses.
If you have a specific child in mind and would like to discuss further,
please email again and if I can't give you an intelligent answer, I will ask
the 'experts' at work!
Chris
At 06:30 05/11/99 -0000, you wrote:
>Hi
>I am a physiotherapist working in the field of learning disability and I
was wondering if anyone had a list of contraindications for the use of AFOs.
>
>Thanks
>
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