Laboratory testing and development of a new adult ankle splint

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An innovative splint is being developed to assist adults with footdrop to walk safely and with more energy efficiency. Footdrop is muscle weakness/paralysis resulting in difficulty lifting the front part of the foot, which causes frequent falls. The benefit of using the OrthoPed splint is that ankle muscles will be used to lift the foot when walking, with the OrthoPed splint providing the extra support that the person is lacking.At present there are limited options for this population and the current market leading splints are often not the most appropriate device.The OrthoPed splints design has been created using many patient and clinician feedback events and there is currently a 2-phase clinical study running in collaboration with a university and 2 NHS Trusts evaluating the OrthoPed splint compared to market leaders. The children's sizes of the OrthoPed splint have been laboratory tested and now we are ready to test the adult sizes. This project will allow rapid development, laboratory testing and biomechanical testing of the splint on adults with foot drop to ensure it is fit for purpose.