Ankle Foot Orthoses: Standardisation of Terminology

The term Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) has been standardised and defined by the International Organization for Standardisation which offers general terms for external orthoses, describing terms relating to external orthoses including the abbreviation AFO., These standards relate to functional deficiencies including a description of the person to be treated with an orthosis, clinical objectives of treatment, and functional requirements of the orthosis and offers categorisation and description of external orthoses and orthotic components using the aforementioned standards. However, it is important to point out that these definitions and standardisations only apply to the term “AFO”. Yet the terms used to describe the different types of AFOs haves not been standardised and defined.