Does user perception affect adherence when wearing biomechanically optimised ankle foot orthosis – footwear combinations: a pilot study

Study Design: Pilot study
Background: Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) and footwear combination (FC) is a commonly prescribed medical device given to children with cerebral palsy (CP) in an attempt to improve their gait. Biomechanically optimising the AFO-FC often requires large adaptations to the sole of the user’s footwear. There is currently a dearth of literature regarding the user’s perception of wearing biomechanically optimised AFOs and adapted footwear and whether their perception affects their adherence to orthotic treatment.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate perception and adherence to wearing an AFO and FC the participants were asked to wear as part of their orthotic prescription. In particular, whether the visibly modified footwear affected the user’s adherence to the orthotic treatment.
Methods: Questionnaire devised for the purpose of this study
Results: All five participants responded to the questionnaire; reporting a high number of positive responses in relation to function, including; an improvement in the way they walked, improved balance and fewer falls. Conversely, there was a high level of negative responses regarding aesthetics, with all participants reporting they did not like the cosmesis of their AFO-FCs. They were conscious that the modification to their footwear was noticeable and therefore different from their peers, yet they adhered to the treatment and in some cases increased the wearing time.
Conclusions: This pilot set of questions indicated that cosmesis is an important factor for children who wear AFOs and adapted footwear. It can be concluded that the impact of the adapted AFO-FC on the participants’ function outweighed their opinion on the cosmesis of the device.
Clinical Relevance: It is vital to understand how orthotic prescriptions affect user adherence. Orthotic prescriptions which are not utilised by the user result in a failed treatment intervention, regardless of the scientific application underpinning them.