Early knee-ankle-foot orthosis wear shortens hospital stays and improves activities of daily living in patients with stroke.

Background: After a stroke, activities of daily living (ADL) are often limited. Therefore, recovery of ADL and shortening of length of stay (LOS) are major challenges for patients with stroke. Thus, this study aimed to examine the relationship between the number of days from stroke onset to knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) wearing and ADL, LOS, and functional independence measure (FIM) motor subitems at discharge.

Objectives: Thus, this study aimed to examine the relationship between the number of days from stroke onset to knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) wearing and ADL, LOS, and functional independence measure (FIM) motor subitems at discharge.

Study design: This retrospective observational study included 107 poststroke participants (59 men and 48 women; median age, 71 years) who were prescribed KAFO.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included 107 poststroke participants (59 men and 48 women; median age, 71 years) who were prescribed KAFO. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to the quartiles (Q1-Q4) of days from stroke onset to KAFO wearing. The primary outcome was the FIM score at discharge.

Results: The median number of days from stroke onset to KAFO administration was 43. Functional independence measure, FIM-motor, and FIM-cognitive scores decreased significantly with increasing number of days from onset to KAFO wearing. In the multiple regression analysis, the number of days from stroke onset to KAFO wearing was associated with the FIM motor score and LOS (P = 0.038 and P = 0.037, respectively).

Conclusions: Early KAFO wearing had a positive impact on the LOS and ADL, irrespective of stroke severity.