Description

Scoliosis is a condition characterized by an undesirable curvature of the spine in the coronal plane. When left untreated, scoliosis can lead to complications in cardiopulmonary damage, chronic back pain, and can affect physical appearance. Current methods for treating scoliosis include the use of orthotic braces to stabilize the spine during the adolescent growth period to prevent progression of the spinal curve. Current bracing technologies used in high-income countries require highly skilled labor as each brace is custom made for each patient, rendering the processes prohibitively expensive for patients in resource limited environments. The goal of this project is to design and manufacture a low-cost spinal orthosis for the treatment of scoliosis which could be used in limited resource environments.