Effect of personalized wrist brace for wrist pain with 3D scanning and printing technique: A preliminary, randomized, controlled, open-label study

Introduction/Background Three-dimensional (3D) printer technology can produce the personalized brace with low cost and less time. 3D printing data files are also advantageous for production of individualized products at no extra cost, even when different designs are used in consecutive production runs. In addition, because the 3D printer is controlled by a computer, it can make objects in various forms and is easy to use, as compared to other manufacturing techniques. The purpose of this study was to develop a personalized wrist brace using a 3D scanner and 3D printer for patients with wrist pain caused by overuse syndrome, and to evaluate the improvement of pain relief, work performance, and daily life satisfaction after wearing the brace. Material and method Twenty patients with wrist pain were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The control group wore the cock-up splint and the experimental group wore 3D printed wrist brace for one week. Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), Jebsen Hand Function Test (JHFT), and Orthotics and Prosthetics User Survey (OPUS) were checked before and one week after the application. Results The PRWE showed significant pain relief in both groups. Two items of the 28 OPUS questions, ‘Put toothpaste on brush and brush teeth’ and ‘Dial a touch tone phone’, showed high satisfaction scores, with statistically significant difference in the experimental group ( P  = 0.036 and 0.004). Conclusion 3D printed wrist brace was superior to the cock-up splint in some items of the OPUS. Wrist pain was reduced in the group wearing the 3D printed wrist brace as well as the group wearing the cock-up splint, so 3D printed wrist brace could possibly play the same role as the cock-up splint.