Study and development of an external aid for treating congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV)

Abstract

Clubfoot referred as congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is a congenital deformity that twists the foot, ankle, and toes. Left untreated in the early stage, it may lead to lifetime disability. With no proper treatment, the child born with clubfoot cannot walk, run or play. Clubfoot, the most common congenital physical disabilities worldwide, known to occur between 1 and 3 in every 1,000 live births worldwide with evidence of higher rates in developing nations. In a year, over 220,000 children are born with clubfoot in developing countries. In India, more than 50,000 children are born with Clubfoot every year. The most preferred type of clubfoot treatment is the use of braces or orthosis. This study deals with the design and development of an external aid for treating children with clubfoot. The virtual model of an orthosis and the clubfoot is made using computer aided design. Then the assembly is then analyzed for predicting the growth pattern in the foot.