ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Orthopedics
This article is part of the Research TopicFractures and Deformities of the Extremities in Children and Adolescents: Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment: 2025View all 16 articles
Therapeutic Outcomes of Customized 3D-Printed Ankle-Foot Orthoses in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Case Series Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation and Healthcare, Guigang City People's Hospital, Guigang, China
- 2Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery and Orthopedics, Guigang City People's Hospital, Guigang, China
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Objective: To retrospectively evaluate the therapeutic effects of 3D-printed ankle-foot orthoses in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SPC). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Guigang People's Hospital, reviewing medical records of children diagnosed with SPC between January 2022 and June 2024. A total of 124 patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups based on the orthotic device they received: the treatment group (n = 62) used 3D-printed orthoses (aluminum alloy uppers with TPU soles), while the control group (n = 62) used traditional polyethylene orthoses. All patients underwent standardized rehabilitation training. Clinical outcomes including passive ankle dorsiflexion, Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) scores, and gait parameters (step length, width, and cadence) were assessed based on follow-up records at three months after orthotic use. Results: Baseline data showed no significant differences between the two groups (P> 0.05). At the three-months follow-up, both groups demonstrated functional improvements, with the treatment group exhibiting significantly greater gains. The passive ankle dorsiflexion angle in the treatment group was significantly lower (88.07 + 3.18 degrees) than the control group (90.08 士2.65 degrees, P= 0.027). Post-treatment GMFM scores were significantly higher in the treatment group (74.98 ± 3.42 points) compared to the control group (69.08 ± 2.95 points, P= 0.001). The treatment group also showed significantly greater improvements in step length (increasing to 31.15 ± 4.18 cm vs. 28.68 +4.32 cm in control, P= 0.01), step speed (increasing to 0.56+ 010 m/s vs.0.52 + 0.12 m/s in control, P= 0.022), and reduced step width (decreasing to 14.52+ 2.36 cmvs.15.82 ± 2.40 cm in control, P= 0.011). The 3D-printed AFOs were significantly lighter (123.6 + 36.15 grams) and thinner (1.71 + 0.17 mm) than the traditional AFOs (183.2± 65.78 grams and 3.00 mm, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This retrospective study suggests that 3D-printed ankle-foot orthoses may offer improved comfort, durability, and functional benefits in gait performance among children with SPC compared to conventional orthoses.
Keywords: 3D printing, Ankle and foot orthosis, Spastic cerebral palsy, Cerebral Palsy, Ankle-foot orthoses
Received: 07 Jul 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qin, Luo, Yang, Lun, Yang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cong Qin, qin-cong@ldy.edu.rs
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