Orthopaedic shoes improve gait in CMT: a combined clinical and quantified case s

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Prosthet Orthot Int. 2006 Apr;30(1):87-96.

Orthopaedic shoes improve gait in a Charcot-Marie-Tooth patient: a

combined clinical and quantified case study.

Guzian MC, Bensoussan L, Viton JM, Mihle de Bovis V, Ramon J, Azulay

JP, Delarque A.

Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculte de

Medecine, Universite de la Mediterranee-Assistance Publique Hopitaux

de Marseille - University Hospital la Timone, Marseille, France.

The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which orthopaedic

shoes improved gait in a patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT)

disease and to show how the latest gait analysis tools available can

help to assess and quantify the efficacy of this treatment.

The case of a 55-year-old woman with CMT disease is described. She

complained mainly of pain and frequent falling. The physical

examination and the clinical gait analysis showed the presence of

bilateral foot drop, high-stepping and varus. Treatment based on

physical therapy and orthopaedic shoes was prescribed. I

n order to assess the clinical efficacy of the treatment, a complete

physical examination was carried out after the patient had been

wearing the orthopaedic shoes for one month. The quantified

assessment was performed with a Gaitrite system, which can be used to

record the spatio-temporal parameters of gait.

t was concluded that orthopaedic shoes provide specialists in

physical and rehabilitation medicine with an excellent means of

treating gait disabilities in patients with CMT disease.

With the made-to-measure orthopaedic shoes used, the falling and pain

disappeared; the patient's walking speed increased and the foot

support base decreased in size. Both the clinical and quantified data

confirmed the subjective improvement perceived by the patient. The

latest tools available for performing quantified gait analysis in

clinical practice provide useful means of objectively assessing the

success of treatment.