internationally and was used widely. The
care pathway was updated in 2014 to
those shown in Figures 1 and 2 to reflect
the changes in the National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
guidelines (NICE, 2013). and to include
further research that had been conducted
in the interim time period. The majority
of this research had very small sample
populations or were pilot studies.
This article was developed from the
updated care pathways and aims to
highlight the role of the orthotist within
the clinical team and provide details on
general orthotic interventions following
stroke. This will hopefully promote the
role of the orthotist to other health
professionals involved in stroke
management, thus providing an
improved service to the patient.
A stroke can result in specific muscles
contracting to the extent that walking
and dexterity is affected. If these
contracted muscles are not addressed in
a timely manner, it can lead to a muscle
shortening that will prevent normal
walking or manual dexterity of the upper
limbs, thus affecting the independence of
an individual.