{"title":"3D-printed custom ankle braces for people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: A pilot study.","authors":"Adam Philps, Mike Frecklington, Sarah Stewart","doi":"10.1002/jfa2.70013","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a neurodegenerative condition resulting in footdrop, ankle instability and impaired balance and gait. This study aimed to determine (1) whether 3D-printed custom ankle braces improve function and balance in people with CMT and (2) whether this is an acceptable device for use in this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A within-subject comparison pragmatic/pilot study was undertaken. Ten people with CMT (mean [SD] age 48 [14] years, 60% male) were fitted with 3D-printed ankle braces. Following a 4-week wear-in period, walking and balance tests and patient-reported outcomes were assessed in two experimental conditions: (i) usual shoes and (ii) usual shoes with 3D-printed custom ankle braces. Differences in outcome measures between experimental conditions were analysed using linear mixed models. Comfort, aesthetics and overall satisfaction of the brace were assessed via 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). Adverse events and tripping/falls associated with the brace during the wear-in period were also recorded by participants using daily diaries.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A significant improvement was seen during single-leg balance with eyes open (p = 0.026, Cohen's d = 0.55) and a significant reduction in foot pain (p = 0.045, Cohen's d = 0.82), with use of the ankle brace. Mean (SD) 100 mm VAS scores were 62.7 mm (17.9) for overall comfort and 73.9 mm (21.2) for overall satisfaction. Subjective data from the daily dairies showed that one participant found the brace too firm around the ankle due to loss of soft tissue mass and two participants found it challenging to don and doff the brace due to loss of hand dexterity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This pilot study suggests that a 3D-printed custom ankle brace may improve balance and reduce foot pain in people with CMT; however, larger-scale trials are needed to further explore the impact of this brace on function and balance. Further customisation of the brace may also be required to improve acceptability for some people.</p>","PeriodicalId":49164,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Foot and Ankle Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11489305/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Foot and Ankle Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jfa2.70013","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ORTHOPEDICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a neurodegenerative condition resulting in footdrop, ankle instability and impaired balance and gait. This study aimed to determine (1) whether 3D-printed custom ankle braces improve function and balance in people with CMT and (2) whether this is an acceptable device for use in this population.
Methods: A within-subject comparison pragmatic/pilot study was undertaken. Ten people with CMT (mean [SD] age 48 [14] years, 60% male) were fitted with 3D-printed ankle braces. Following a 4-week wear-in period, walking and balance tests and patient-reported outcomes were assessed in two experimental conditions: (i) usual shoes and (ii) usual shoes with 3D-printed custom ankle braces. Differences in outcome measures between experimental conditions were analysed using linear mixed models. Comfort, aesthetics and overall satisfaction of the brace were assessed via 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). Adverse events and tripping/falls associated with the brace during the wear-in period were also recorded by participants using daily diaries.
Results: A significant improvement was seen during single-leg balance with eyes open (p = 0.026, Cohen's d = 0.55) and a significant reduction in foot pain (p = 0.045, Cohen's d = 0.82), with use of the ankle brace. Mean (SD) 100 mm VAS scores were 62.7 mm (17.9) for overall comfort and 73.9 mm (21.2) for overall satisfaction. Subjective data from the daily dairies showed that one participant found the brace too firm around the ankle due to loss of soft tissue mass and two participants found it challenging to don and doff the brace due to loss of hand dexterity.
Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that a 3D-printed custom ankle brace may improve balance and reduce foot pain in people with CMT; however, larger-scale trials are needed to further explore the impact of this brace on function and balance. Further customisation of the brace may also be required to improve acceptability for some people.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, the official journal of the Australian Podiatry Association and The College of Podiatry (UK), is an open access journal that encompasses all aspects of policy, organisation, delivery and clinical practice related to the assessment, diagnosis, prevention and management of foot and ankle disorders.
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research covers a wide range of clinical subject areas, including diabetology, paediatrics, sports medicine, gerontology and geriatrics, foot surgery, physical therapy, dermatology, wound management, radiology, biomechanics and bioengineering, orthotics and prosthetics, as well the broad areas of epidemiology, policy, organisation and delivery of services related to foot and ankle care.
The journal encourages submissions from all health professionals who manage lower limb conditions, including podiatrists, nurses, physical therapists and physiotherapists, orthopaedists, manual therapists, medical specialists and general medical practitioners, as well as health service researchers concerned with foot and ankle care.
The Australian Podiatry Association and the College of Podiatry (UK) have reserve funds to cover the article-processing charge for manuscripts submitted by its members. Society members can email the appropriate contact at Australian Podiatry Association or The College of Podiatry to obtain the corresponding code to enter on submission.