A Self-adaptive and Lightweight Brace for a Full Cycle of Calf Fracture Rehabilitation

Abstract The common treatment for calf fractures is cast immobilization, which limits the movement of the injured area and, causes muscle atrophy and joint stiffness. Wearing a cast for a long time can lead to problems such as itchiness and moist skin. To ameliorate these problems, this study designed a self-adaptive lightweight brace that provides strong patient protection throughout the rehabilitation cycle. The design of the brace is entirely based on the contour of the patient's leg, whereas topological optimization ensures that it meets requirements for lightweightness and air permeability. In the early stages of rehabilitation, the brace provided tight immobilization. During mid-rehabilitation, an automatic airbag filling system inflates in real time to ensure secure immobilization and prevent muscle atrophy or deformity. At the end of rehabilitation, a motorized drive system effectively rehabilitates patient movement. This study verified the effectiveness of the brace self-adaptive system through experimental validation, which involved the recruitment of three volunteers with varying leg circumferences. Volunteers with calf circumference of 34 and 36 cm were tested for reciprocal movement of the leg, and the angle was adjusted and fixed from 99° to 160° and from 104° to 173°, respectively. The automated airbag inflation system was tested on volunteers with calf circumferences of 34 cm. The results of this experiment demonstrated the effective support provided by the proposed brace system throughout the entire calf rehabilitation cycle, indicating its promising application in the medical field.