Design and fabrication of a wrist splint for burn patient rehabilitation using 3D printing technologies.

Cann, Connor; Saharudin, Mohd Shahneel

Abstract

Severe and common injuries involving burns to the hands and wrists can often lead to permanent loss of motion. The issue is exacerbated by the delicate nature of tendons and muscles in the hands, along with the formation of scar tissue. While rehabilitation exercises can help improve the range of motion, early-stage recovery requires additional tension on the affected areas. To address this concern, a novel project was initiated, aiming to develop a specialized splint for later-stage rehabilitation. This innovative splint allows users to carry out their daily tasks while wearing it, constantly applying a beneficial load on the wrist, hand, and digits to enhance range of motion. The development of the splint involved leveraging Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printing and medically safe materials for the initial prototype. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was employed to analyze the design. The process underwent iterative design improvements and parameter adjustments, ultimately resulting in the final prototype. The FEA analysis confirmed the strength and durability of the PLA components, while the TPU digit resistance bands were evaluated using a hyper-elastic model. As a result, the final design effectively applies tension to the digits without compromising day-to-day tasks' usability and wearer's comfort. Future iterations of the splint could focus on enhancing fastening methods, reducing brace movement during usage, creating various sizes to accommodate different arm/hand dimensions, and optimizing mass-manufacturing processes.

Citation

CANN, C. and SAHARUDIN, M.S. 2023. Design and fabrication of a wrist splint for burn patient rehabilitation using 3D printing technologies. Journal of physics: conference series [online], 2643: proceedings of the 8th International conference on applications and design in mechanical engineering 2023 (ICADME 2023), 4-5 September 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, article 012003. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2643/1/012003

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Conference Name: 8th International conference on applications and design in mechanical engineering 2023 (ICADME 2023)
• Acceptance Date: Nov 3, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Dec 6, 2023
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2024
• Journal: Journal of physics: conference series
• Print ISSN: 1742-6588
• Electronic ISSN: 1742-6596
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2643
• Article Number: 012003
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2643/1/012003
• Keywords: Injuries; Loss of motion; Burns; Specialized splints; Rehabilitation; Fused deposition modelling (FDM)
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2170500