ENGLISH
a. Calf piece and velcro strap
b. Elastic connection strap
c. Posterior upright
d. Thermoformable – tube
e. Tapered footplate
FITTING THE AFO TO THE PATIENT
• Apply the J-shape spring to the patients' lower leg (Pic. 1).
• Apply the calf piece (Figure 2).
• Verify height of the calf piece (Figure 3). To reduce the length of the
posterior strut, remove calf piece and grid strut to an appropriate
level (approximately at the thickest part of the calf). Do not grind the
strut at the heel area as this may jeopardize product performance
and strength.
Make sure the strut doesn't reach the back of the knee in seated or
slightly kneeled position and does not compress the perineal artery
or nerve.
ASSEMBLY OF THE AFO
• Slide the calf-piece over the posterior strut.
• Apply slight tension on the elastic band (Figure 4) and attach the
microvelcro at that level of the strut.
• Connect the elastic band using the loop-Velcro.
• Apply the tapered part (rounded edge) of the silicon pad to the distal
part of the posterior strut and the entire length of the posterior strut
covering the elastic band (Figure 4).
• Attach the padding to the calf-piece (Figure 5).
The calf padding is slightly bigger than the calf-piece to avoid contact
between the piece and the leg.
• Insert the AFO into the shoe (Section 4) and allow the patient to walk
around for a while to verify the fit of the AFO. Decrease or increase
padding as needed (Section 5).
When the fit is approved, apply the shrink tube to the lower section of the
strut. The shrink tube will allow the user to don their shoe easier while
protecting the padding:
• Remove the upper part of the padding of the strut
• Remove elastic band from the Velcro on strut
• Remove the calf piece
• Slide the shrink tube all the way down over the posterior strut (Pic. 6).
• Use the heat-gun to shrink the tube to proper size. Evenly distribute
the heat to avoid burning and wrinkles (Figure 6). First apply the heat
to the inside of the AFO, then the outside.
• Re-apply the calf piece, elastic strap and reapply padding (Figure 7).
INSERTION INTO THE SHOE (Figure 8)
• If present, remove the insert from the shoe.
• Place the AFO inside the shoe ensuring a stable position over the full
length of the footplate.
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