Influence of Immobilisation, Stretching and Activity on Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Spastic Muscle

The immobilization group (IG) will receive the standard treatment, a dynamic ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for night and day use (23 hours per day)

The Immobilization/Activity Group (IAG) will be treated with the same type of ankle-foot orthosis at night (8 hours) and for 6 hours during the day (altogether orthosis treatment 14 hours per day). The rest of the day (10 hours) children and adolescents will be using only the foot shell of orthoses (FS) without the lower leg shell, to secure the correct position of the foot and to allow a free motion at ankle joint with a good correction of the foot deformity (e.g. Pes equinovarus / equinovalgus, midfoot-break).

Before the intervention with the orthotic treatment starts, a control phase of 8 weeks is planned. During this time, the individual orthoses for each subject are manufactured.