Knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO): introductory overview
Draft — clinical review requiredA knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) extends from the thigh to the foot and controls the knee as well as the ankle.
Go deeper
Open each part when you are ready.
Where it sits
- Thigh, shank and foot sections with knee and ankle joints.
Joints crossed
- Knee, ankle and foot.
Movements it may allow, resist or constrain
- Knee may be locked or controlled in stance; ankle controlled as in an AFO.
Intended functional goals
- Knee stability in stance when the quadriceps cannot provide it.
Potential applications
- Severe quadriceps weakness (for example after polio or nerve injury) — after assessment.
Limitations, tradeoffs and precautions
- Locked knee requires circumduction or hip hiking for clearance.
- Higher energy cost; heavier.
Individual assessment and fitting
- Hip strength, trunk control, knee and ankle range.
- Response depends on stiffness, alignment, footwear, available range, strength and motor control. No device produces the same result in every patient.
What additional information would you need before considering this device?
- Range of motion at the ankle, knee and hip.
- Strength and motor control.
- Tone and spasticity.
- Sensation and skin integrity.
- Footwear, goals, cognition and ability to don/doff.
- Who will review fit and response over time.
Apply it
A locked-knee KAFO often leads to which swing compensation?
Sources and review status
Draft — clinical review required
Starting points for verification. Validated protocols are linked where available; clinical content has not yet been reviewed.
Learning objectives
- Identify where a Knee-ankle-foot orthosis: introductory overview sits and which joints it crosses.
- Explain which movements it may allow, resist or constrain.
- List factors that require individual assessment and fitting.