Research Recommendations and Considerations

Abstract

The State of the Science Conference on the effects of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) on balance concluded with a discussion of future recommendations and considerations for the topic. Recommendations and discussions were organized according to the four broad domains including 1) task or the activities most anticipated for a given patient care scenario, 2) AFO design or the physical characteristics of the provided intervention, 3) functional impairment or the diagnoses and presentations of the subjects, and 4) outcomes assessment or the established means by which the treatment effect will be formally observed and documented. Future research will be challenged by the considerable overlap of these domains with respect to individual balance considerations. The effect of AFOs on balance has been largely overlooked, both in clinical practice and research laboratories. Therefore, the need for future research in this area to inform clinical decision making is immense.