Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO Report for Patients Like You

What is Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO?

An example of Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

An AFO or "foot brace" is a plastic brace fastened with velcro straps around the foot to prevent tripping or foot drop.

Reported Purpose & Perceived Effectiveness

Reasons and Perceived effectiveness
			Perceived Effectiveness
Purpose	# of patients	# of patients with evaluations	Major	Moderate	Slight	None	Can’t tell
Foot drop	205	50
Improve mobility	41	19
Stiffness/Spasticity	32	4
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)	25	6
Foot drop (left)	13	3
Walking problems	12	5

See all 40 reasons taken ▼

See all 332 patients currently using Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

Mouse over the table for more information

Reported Side Effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Severe	3
Moderate	11
Mild	19
None	65

Commonly reported side effects, conditions, and hospitalizations associated with Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

See all 25 reported side effects ▼ See top 6 reported side effects ▲
Uncomfortable	13	13
Pain	7	7
Difficulty putting on	5	5
Feeling hot	4	4
Can't find shoes to fit	2	2
Pain in heel(s)	2	2
Inability to stand	2	2
Hospitalization	2	2
Inability to drive due to medication	1	1
Swelling in feet	1	1
Hospitalization	1	1
feel unstable	1	1
Shins get red when they swell	1	1
Does not help me get to sleep or stay asleep	1	1
Swollen feet	1	1
Pain in feet and toes	1	1
Pain in ankles	1	1
Awakening due to cumbersome equipment	1	1
Irritation with extended wear	1	1
Top of brace leaves imprint on leg	1	1
Chafing (skin abrasion)	1	1
Edema related discomfort	1	1
Grinds the shins	1	1
Discomfort	1	1
Atrophy of shin muscles	1	1

Reported Stop Reasons

Why Patients Stopped Using (multiple reasons could be selected)
Reason	# Patients	Percentage of patients
Other	65
Did not seem to work	36
Course of treatment ended	25
Side effects too severe	8
Doctor's advice	6
Not indicated	5
Personal research	2

See all 128 patients who’ve stopped using Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

Reported Duration See details about how long patients take this treatment ▼ Reported Duration Hide details ▲

How Long Current Patients Have Been Using Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

A bar graph

0-1 month	1-3 months	3-6 months	6 months-1year	1-2 years	2 years or more
0	0	0	3	10	48

How Long Patients Used Before Stopping

A bar graph

0-1 month	1-3 months	3-6 months	6 months-1year	1-2 years	2 years or more
6	8	12	28	35	38

Reported Adherence, Burden & Cost See details from patient evaluations ▼

Adherence

Taking treatment as prescribed

Adherence of Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

Always	53	54%
Usually	27	28%
Sometimes	11	11%
Never	7	7%

Burden

Difficulty being on treatment

Burden of Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

Very	8	8%
Somewhat	22	22%
A little	26	27%
Not at all	42	43%

Cost

Paid out of pocket

Cost of Ankle Foot Orthosis AFO

$200+	10	22%
$100-199	4	9%
$50-99	3	7%
$25-49	1	2%
< $25	27	60%

Patient Evaluations

Sagen

Sex: F

Data Quality: 2 stars

Sensation: Moderate

Overall: Moderate

Cognition: moderate

Vision: moderate

Speech: moderate

Swallowing: moderate

Upper limb: moderate

Walking: moderate

I am: g

I have:
MS
Sagen

since Oct 15, 2012
Perceived effectiveness Slight for Foot drop
Side Effects Moderate
Advice/Tips Need to be lighter AFO, helped some See full evaluation

slowrambler

Sex: M

Data Quality: 1 star

Relapse: Moderate

Sensation: Severe

Overall: Mild

Cognition: none

Vision: none

Speech: none

Swallowing: none

Upper limb: none

Walking: severe

I am: g

I have:
MS
slowrambler

all the time (24/7)

since Sep 07, 2012
Perceived effectiveness Slight for Other
Side Effects None
See full evaluation

Rachael

Sex: F

Data Quality: 2 stars

Bulbar: severe

Arms: severe

Chest: moderate

Legs: severe

I am: n

I have:
ALS
Rachael

daily

since Aug 09, 2012
Perceived effectiveness Moderate for Foot drop
Side Effects None
Advice/Tips I also have a less effective bespoke boot for outdoor wear. I cannot get my foot into a traditional shoe, as my toes buckle and drag. This boot opens down th... See full evaluation

**Purpose:** Foot drop *(Started May 16, 2007)*
Date	Dosage	Perceived effectiveness	Side Effects	Adherence	Burden
Oct 15, 2012		Slight	Moderate	Always	Very

Purpose: Foot drop (Started May 16, 2007)

Date

Dosage

Perceived effectiveness

Side Effects

Adherence

Burden

Oct 15, 2012

Slight

Moderate

Always

Very

**Purpose:** Other *(Started Oct 11, 1995)*
Date	Dosage	Perceived effectiveness	Side Effects	Adherence	Burden
Sep 07, 2012	1 All the time (24/7)	Slight	None	Always	Not at all
Feb 13, 2009	1 All the time (24/7)	Major	None	Always	Not at all
Sep 07, 2008	1 All the time (24/7)	Major	None	Always	Not at all

Purpose: Other (Started Oct 11, 1995)