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General Rehabilitation

Functional Outcomes in Mild Foot Drop Treated with Ankle-Foot Orthoses

Friday, October 24, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM MT
Location: Kiosk 9

    Poster Presenter(s)

  • Anton D. Pham, DO

    Resident Physician
    UCLA David Geffen SOM/ UCLA Medical Center/VA Greater Los Angeles Health
    Los Angeles, California

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Antonio Casco-Zuleta, MD

    Resdident Physician
    UCLA David Geffen SOM/ UCLA Medical Center/VA Greater Los Angeles Health
    Los Angeles, California

  • Kyle Kinder, MD

    Resident Physician
    UCLA David Geffen SOM/ UCLA Medical Center/VA Greater Los Angeles Health
    Los Angeles, California

  • RO

    Resa Oshiro, MD

    Acting Chief of Pm&R
    Veterans Health Administration
    Los Angeles, California

Disclosure(s):
Anton D. Pham, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Antonio Casco-Zuleta, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Kyle Kinder, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Background and/or Objectives: Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFOs) assist in ambulation, balance, and fall prevention for patients with foot drop. While their benefits in moderate to severe cases are well-documented, research on their impact in mild foot drop is limited. This study evaluates the functional outcomes of AFO use in individuals with mild foot drop, focusing on walking tolerance and pain.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Setting : Brace clinics within the healthcare system, including outpatient and ambulatory care centers.

Participants : A goal of 30 ambulatory adults (≥18 years) with mild foot drop, defined as at least 4/5 dorsiflexion strength on manual muscle testing (MMT) in bilateral lower extremities, prescribed an AFO as part of routine medical care.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes include changes in walking tolerance and ankle pain, assessed with the AFO Functionality Questionnaire (AFQ), adapted from the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI). Data is collected at four time points: prior to AFO receipt and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-AFO use. Secondary outcomes include gait parameters and patient-reported functional improvements.

Results: Data collection is ongoing, with preliminary data indicating potential improvements in walking tolerance and reductions in ankle pain among participants. Final analysis will include descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, odds ratio analysis, and repeated measures ANOVA. A p-value < 0.05 will indicate statistical significance.

Conclusions: This study seeks to determine whether AFOs provide a measurable functional benefit in patients with mild foot drop, guiding clinical decision-making in prescribing AFOs for this population.