Club foot Brace for Infants

Problem

Club foot is a congenital, physical deformity that is characterized by infants being born with a foot turned inward or to the side. It is easily and typically treated in developing countries, but in rural, developing areas where treatment options may be less available, club foot can lead to life-long disability. It has been estimated that prevalence of clubfoot in Africa is approximately 2 in 1000 births and as high as 8 in every 1000 births in East Africa .

This project was inspired by conversations with Kenyan orthopedics specialists that occurred in Kisumu, Kenya in 2016.

Solution

A 3D printable brace that can be used to treat children born with club foot. The brace is able to be adjusted in several different directions, can extend in stance-width, and has an open-toe design to allow for a variety of sizes. The stance widith is measurable in 0.5cm increments, and both angles can be adjusted to the nearest 15 degrees.

As with most braces used for the treating of club foot, infants and small children have their feet locked into the foot pads with straps (improvisable with cloth or velcro), and then sleep with the braces on their feet. Over time, the braces can be slowly adjusted to correct the positioning of the feet.

FreeCad Files

Printable Stl files

STL Files available at Youmagine

Print Instructions

For all printed components

Material: PLA

Layer Height: 0.2mm

Shell Thickness: 1mm

Fill Density: 80%

Print Speed: 40 mm/s

Printing Temperature: 185 C

No supports necessary.

Total Printing Time: 13+ hours

Assembly time: >5min

Assembly Instructions

Using the .stl files above print out the following

1. 1 x bottom slider
2. 1 x top slider
3. 1 x closing bracket
4. 2 x angle bracket
5. 2 x foot pads
6. 5 x flattened knob
7. 1 x raised knob

Common Problems and Solutions

1. Be sure to place the nuts into the printed dials as soon as the dials are printed. The plastic is still soft as it cools, and due to its tight fit, it is difficult to place the plastic once it has cooled.
2. Some of the holes may be a tight fit. Be sure to have a 1/4 inch drill bit handy if necessary.

Break Down of Costs

(Assuming $23/kg of PLA)

1. Bottom Slider (1x):$1.12
2. Top Slider (1x):$0.94
3. Closing Bracket (1x):$9
4. Angle Brackets (2x):$1.06
5. Foot Pad (2x):$2.85
6. Raised Dial (1x):$0.07
7. Flattened dial (5x):$0.46

-Total Print cost: $6.60

-Hardware cost: >$3.00

Total cost to Manufacture: >$9.60

Comparable Costs

Commercially Available Braces: >$300

Savings: $290 (~ 97% reduction in cost)

Stanford Design Challenge to create low-cost model created $20 model, but the Stanford model has fewer degrees of freedom/adjustment .

Rental fee of $18 in Kenya

Locally made alternative in Uganda for $10 , however, it is not adjustable like this design.