Background: The family-centred approach is fundamental in the therapeutic process of children with cerebral palsy (CP), and the increased competence of parents about therapeutic devices, especially orthoses, can facilitate its implementation, thus intensifying the benefits that this device provides. The aim of this study was to understand the perception of mothers of children with CP in relation to their children's anklefoot orthosis.Methods: This is a qualitative study using thematic content analysis technique. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews from 24 mothers of children with Levels IV and V of CP according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), who were attended at a philanthropic rehabilitation centre.Results: Three categories were identified from analyzing the interviews: benefits of the orthosis, the orthosis in the child's daily life and 'What if it were like this?' Conclusions: According to the mothers' perceptions, the ankle-foot orthosis improved their child's mobility. The orthoses are used in different contexts in the child's daily life, and the mothers pointed out suggestions regarding personalizing the orthosis with different colors and patterns, increasing comfort and facilitating the way in which the device is placed. K E Y W O R D S family, neurological disorder, orthotic devices 1 | INTRODUCTION Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have musculoskeletal impairments, which are often associated with comorbidities such as cognitive disorders, which directly interfere in acquiring essential motor skills to perform daily activities and participating in the environment in which

RESUMO Os comprometimentos da funcionalidade em indivíduos com lesão medular (LM) geram complicações secundárias, sendo o descondicionamento físico preponderante e um exacerbador das complicações da lesão. O objetivo foi avaliar em atletas e não atletas com LM a incapacidade percebida e a independência funcional. Os questionários WHODAS 2.0 e SCIM III foram aplicados em 37 voluntários com LM e seus dados sociodemográficos foram coletados. Os escores totais do WHODAS 2.0 e SCIM III de indivíduos com LM torácica e LM cervical foram comparados por meio do teste de Mann-Whitney. Quanto à incapacidade percebida observou-se diferença significativa no WHODAS 2.0 entre atletas e não atletas com LM torácica. Em relação à independência funcional não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos no SCIM III. Apesar de a prática esportiva promover benefícios para a saúde, no grupo de indivíduos com LM cervical não foram encontradas diferenças significativas, o que pode ser explicado pelo maior grau de comprometimento motor desses indivíduos.

Introduction: The present study proposes a new scientific project for the seat of a wheelchair, suggesting that, through the properties of a three plan mobile seat, the pelvis of individuals with neuromotor dysfunctions may position themselves adequately, allowing a chain effect, with innumerable benefits to the users, such as prevention of deformities, of muscle shortening, of pressure ulcers and improved functionality. In spite of innumerable wheelchair models available in market, none presents the ample properties resembling the articulated seat, allowing the pelvic alignment that is crucial for the adoption of an adequate posture. Methods:The articulated seat was set over a ball and socket articulation made of two components, one convex that is fixed in the chair's structure and the other concave, attached to a mobile platform. The property of the articulated seat, to change the pressure distribution in the gluteal region, was tested on 34 typical individuals, without neurological injury, through a measurement system composed by 27 sensors. Results: The significance of the statistic model proposed determined that the articulated seat was capable of altering the pressure distribution in the gluteal region in several positions on the frontal and sagittal planes, in healthy subjects. Conclusion: Despite the fact that this equipment is capable of redistributing the pressure in a seating position, future research to examine other parameters such as time of use, the use in subjects with neurological dysfunction, the angle of pelvic inclination, the criterions of indication and non-indication, inter alia, must be conducted to appropriately qualify this device.

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O padrão de caminhada em indivíduos que apresentam disfunções musculares fomenta a demanda por dispositivos auxiliares de locomoção. Estes artefatos de assistência ao movimento variam de acordo com sua forma, tamanho e características funcionais, obedecendo às aplicações clínicas desejadas. Dentre as órteses de membro inferior, o Tutor Curto visa melhorar a capacidade do andar em indivíduos com limitações neuromusculares diversas, oferecendo níveis variados de suporte durante a marcha. O objetivo deste estudo é explorar a possibilidade de utilização de novos designs em Manufatura Aditiva para reproduzir a forma e as características funcionais de um Tutor Curto de forma eficaz. Para tanto, este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a atuação das forças mecânicas através da análise de Elementos Finitos em um tutor curto. Será apresentado o estudo de distribuição estresse decorrente do desenvolvimento da marcha, bem como o deslocamento do dispositivo ortopédico no decorrer da caminhada do paciente. palavras-chave: manufatura aditiva, novos designs órteses, elementos finitos.