COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF ANKLE-FOOT ORTHOSIS FOR FOOT DROP CASE DURING STANCE PHASE IN GAIT CYCLE

Foot drop is a neuromuscular disorder characterised by steppage in the gait cycle that hinders a patient from performing dorsiflexion or lifting the forefoot. This condition is commonly found in patients with stroke or cerebral palsy. A device treats foot drop conditions for rehabilitation, such as the use of Ankle-Foot Orthosis. The fabrication process of Ankle-Foot Orthosis is usually performed for a specific case and customised for a single person. Trial and error in the fabrication process are commonly chosen to obtain the correct design. Thus, a computational study is needed to provide less time and cost in designing the Ankle-Foot Orthosis. This study aims to observe the Ankle-Foot Orthosis model simulation for foot drop cases in the stance phase. The model was developed and analysed by using Solidworks. The result showed that the highest stress was concentrated on the lateral ankle curvature or ankle trimline of the Ankle-Foot Orthosis in the initial contact subphase. The stress was still below the elastic modulus of polypropylene which was the material used in the simulation. Using this Ankle-Foot Orthosis model, the patient with foot drop would provide artificial dorsiflexion and improve the gait cycle to prevent stumbling.