Forefoot Mobility in Ankle and Foot Orthoses

In Brief Background and Purpose: Typical gait requires flexibility in the ankle and foot. During gait, it is critical that the ankle dorsiflex and the toes extend. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate that when foot orthoses block critical movement undesirable compensations that may interfere with gait can appear. Case Description: Three children with spastic cerebral palsy demonstrate the effect on gait when the blocks attributable to the orthoses were removed. Intervention: All children received electrical stimulation and used foot orthoses. Outcomes: Internal hip rotation and toe walking occurred when orthoses blocked digit extension. A block may be small and unnoticed but can still influence gait and force the child to compensate for the loss of mobility. The author describes the effect of orthotic fit on forefoot mobility in 3 children with cerebral palsy. Small changes in orthotic fit influenced the children's gait.