Bae

Orthotics

Clubfoot Orthotic
William Porter

Alexis Wickwire
Erika Franzen
Dr. Morey Moreland
02/08/2005
 What is Clubfoot?

• Talipes Equinovarus
• Congenital Deformity or
acquired condition
• Affects bones, joints,
muscles, and blood vessels
• Occurs once per 1000 live
births is the U.S.
• The foot is pointing
downwards and twisted
inwards
 More Facts on Clubfoot

• ~100,000 born each • In Uganda

year in the world • 10,000 current cases
• 5 to 7 times more • 1,000 born each year
children born with it in
third world countries • Only one trained
surgeon to treat
• Almost half babies born condition
with the condition have
bilateral clubfoot • Need a non surgical
answer to the condition
 Treatment Options
• Physiotherapy - The aim is to stretch the ligaments and tendons into the correct
position.
• Strapping - Strips of adhesive strapping are passed around the foot, up the
sides of the leg, and over the top of the knee, to hold the foot in a corrected
position. This is usually done weekly, following some physiotherapy.
• Plaster fixation - The surgeon manipulates the foot into position, and holds it in
place with plaster. This needs to be repeated about every week for 3 to 6
months.
• Ponseti Method - The treatment involves weekly stretching of the foot deformity
in the clinic, followed by the application of long leg plaster casts. The cast is
changed every 1 or 2 weeks. The physician may performs a tenotomy, an
Achilles tendon lengthening using non-invasive surgery.
• Splinting - There are different types of splint available that may be worn just at
night, or for most of the time.

 Most reports only show a success rates of less than 50%.

 Almost all of the treatments need to be followed by a braces to hold the foot in
the correct position for an extend period of time.
 An infant with bilateral clubfoot

An infant with unilateral clubfoot

An infant being treated with castings

 Current Braces

Problems with current braces:

• Expensive ($200 to $300)
• Uncomfortable
• Hard to keep children in them Wheaton Brace
• Parents will allow kids to take it off
because cause discomfort
• They do not keep feet at optimal
position
• DBB – both feet must be kept in
brace

Dennis Brown Bar

 The Primary Objectives

• Fabricate an orthotic device to successfully

treat patients (approximate age 1-3 years)
• Improve comfort and wearability of the
orthosis
• Formulate a design to prevent distraction of
the foot from the orthosis, as commonly
occurs with currently marketed devices
• Construct a more economical device for non-
invasive treatment to a costly health condition
 Achievements to Date

• Guidance by Dr. Moreland on the condition

and current methods of treatment
• Decided on a preliminary design
• Contacted companies about buying portions
of the prototype from standard orthotic parts
• Obtained a Dennis Brown Bar to examine
and model our device after
 Conditions for Success

• Hard to find a infant with clubfoot to test

prototype
• If the brace:
• Holds the foot in the correct position for
extend periods of time
• Comfortable for infant to wear
• Cheaper than other braces on the market
 Personal Role

• Brainstorm possible redesigns of

device
• Construct prototype
• Drawings of possible redesigns
• Implement validation and verification
protocols on the prototype
• Clinical evaluation of prototype
Questions