Design of mechanical bracing device for clubfoot treatment

Clubfoot is one of the complex three-dimensional deformities of the foot. In Malaysia, clubfoot remains a significant problem and yields an unpredictable outcome due to the late presentation for treatment and ignorance of parents. Invasive and non-invasive treatment is applied for clubfoot. However, relapse can occur after the treatment, and the patient needs to use a bracing device for post-treatment maintenance. In this paper, the design of a new mechanical bracing device for clubfoot treatment is presented. Engineering design approach was applied to the device development. Problem identification and customer requirement, conceptual design, preliminary design, detail design and final design were conducted before the fabrication process. The device consists of adjustable foot width, dorsiflexion, shoe, a horizontal plate, foot pad and foot height. The prototype was fabricated, and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis was conducted for evaluation purpose. The device consists of multi-adjustable joint that can be considered as a new concept for the bracing device.