Print away my arthritis foot pain: next-generation 3D-printed orthotics

James Woodburn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In this presentation I will provide a description of the 3D printing technologies that have been developed to manufacture custom foot orthoses. I will compare the advantages and disadvantages of these alongside traditional techniques. I will describe how 3D printing provides unique opportunities for step change freeform design and the technologies developed to functionally customize foot orthoses at the individual patient level. Here, prototype designs will be demonstrated that map typical foot impairments in arthritis to functional design features that control joint motion and forces, re-time muscle activity and offload pressure. The presentation will show data from a clinical study in early RA evaluating mode-of-action, safety and patient experience of two prototype foot orthoses manufactured using low-cost desktop 3D printing and high-end, factory based selective laser sintering. It will conclude with a vision for models of care for wide-scale implementation of 3D printing in routine practice.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)i25
Number of pages1
JournalRheumatology
Volume53
Issue numbersuppl_1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Apr 2014

Keywords

  • arthritis
  • orthotic devices
  • foot pain
  • printing
  • three-dimensional

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