What is a KAFO?
Contoured plastic thigh and lower leg sections joined together with double upright knee joints; Custom molded to patient model; Design options include locking knee joints, trimlines anterior to ankle to help control medial/lateral stability; optional custom insole
Description of Device
There are two very general categories of KAFOs:
Metal designs: Metal design consists of a metal structure shaped to the limb and upholstered with leather at the points where the device makes contact with a person’s body. This is the more traditional of the two designs.
Plastic Designs: The plastic design is the one most frequently encountered today and is usually a plastic device custom molded to the person’s body with metal components in key structural areas only. The reason for the increased use of the plastic and metal design is that it is lighter in weight and is considered to be more cosmetic.
