Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Additive Manufacturing Technology in Physical Therapy Field

Written by: Lizaveta Darashkevich

The technology in the medical field has gone through many changes in the past few decades, from mechanical equipment to robots. Physical therapy (PT), as a separate and unique field, is not an exception. Physiotherapists help increase patients’ mobility, but it would be almost impossible to work without any equipment, such as general balance discs, stretch straps, muscle stimulators, dynamic unweighting systems, and much more. However, have you ever thought that 3D printing could be used in PT? The importance of 3D printing technology and monitoring its beneficial effects at work should not be underestimated.

For individuals to understand how 3D printing can help in physical therapy, it is important to understand what physical therapy is and who a physiotherapist is. According to the Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, 2008, “A range of allied health professionals serve as practitioners in their own right, delivering predominantly intervention and therapy services in hospital, clinical, and educational settings and sometimes in the child’s own home.” As a result, a physiotherapist must have knowledge of and an advanced understanding of human movement. Even before the first visit with a patient, the physiotherapist has to communicate all of the background information about the patient to understand the bigger picture and make a plan for the patient. In other words, to choose the right tool or technology for treatment, a physiotherapist must get the patient’s surgical reports, x-rays, MRIs, etc. The main goal for the PT is to meet patient needs by bringing back the real quality of life and, more importantly, the enjoyment of life.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is a key technology in PT that stands “beside the doctor” and is developing fast. Nikki Byteman, a biomedical engineer from The University of Akron, claims that 3D printing is a free form fabrication process that produces objects from digital data by building up materials (plastic, metal,ceramics, etc.) layer by layer. 3D printing covers a wide range of areas. This new technology applies to scientists working on bioprinting (printing organs); it can also be used in the dental industry and in the physiotherapy field. As reported by Loria, 3D printing is helpful in PT in many ways: making customized instruments for patients, such as adaptive equipment for exercises. Also, physiotherapists can use additive manufacturing in shoe orthotics to make accurate, custom-made insoles, which can be printed at the workplace. This technology brings such progress into physical therapy practice and advances the field because of its ability to turn the object on the screen into a real and physical tool. The new generation of 3D printers allows printing bigger pieces faster and having better quality in short periods of time with less cost.

Through an understanding of both physical therapy and additive manufacturing, it is important to move toward the use of 3D printing and look at all its benefits. Jessica Pepper, a physical therapist who works at Lenovo in Michigan, said, “Just about anything you can think of can be created using a 3D printer, as long as the part is thick enough to support its own weight.” Various items, from customized printed cane handles to customized printed hands, are becoming a new technology in PT work with patients. For example, a specially shaped 3D printed plastic tool whose purpose is to break up scar tissue under the surface of the skin that causes some chronic pain The tool works along the skin, almost like a massage, and helps get rid of scar tissue that builds up from injuries. Another benefit is cost efficiency. The reason why this method is fairly economical, especially for the patient, is because individuals are not waiting for a specific custom made item for months but can have it made in the doctor’s office. Imagine being able to transfer a digital model into a visible and physical object. According to Jon Mehlferber, a professor of visual arts at the University of North Georgia, the traditional way of making hand and foot braces for a child would cost $8000 when similar products made by a team at the workplace are $20. There is a huge difference in product time frame when ordering from a firm versus 3D printing. From a firm’s perspective, it will take six months, while 3D printing can be completed within 24 hours. Mehlferber helps PTs understand and recognize the importance of using 3D printing and evaluate its effectiveness in their own practice. Due to the fact that 3D printing is a fast changing industry, like most technology, the challenge is to encourage physical therapists to engage in extra activities, like designing 3D models for patients, despite it being fairly difficult just from the beginning. Therapists who have experienced the whole process of literally making customized new technology tools from scratch are extremely happy that they can help more people in shorter periods of time. While some therapists argue to support 3D printing in the physical therapy field, others take a quantum leap ahead by saying that additive manufacturing must be taught at PT program schools.

Technology is a process. The demand for 3D printers for the healthcare market is rising. Learning and adapting to the new technology in the PT field is extremely important for providing better and more accurate help to people with health problems. People should accept 3D printing because it is growing in the field and will become more popular, as well as because it will help people more, including customizing and personalizing aids at a lower cost. In the foreseeable future, we will see how the use of 3D printing will be expanded in clinics and hospitals, leading to more positive changes.