Targeting specific muscles for rehabilitation with an EMG-controlled ankle-foot orthosis

In able-bodied individuals, the ankle provides more positive work during the stance phase of gait, especially at push-off, than both the knee and the hip [1]. Neurological injuries, such as stroke, weaken neural connections to distal muscles, specifically to those muscles which act about the ankle joint. The result is a reduction in the amount of positive work the ankle can provide [2]. Therefore, people having suffered a stroke or other neurological injury experience gait deficiencies [3], including decreased walking speed and step length, asymmetric gait, and, consequently, increased metabolic cost [4], which hinder everyday mobility and functionality.