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. 2025 Jun 5;11(1):23.
doi: 10.1186/s41205-025-00274-x.

Clinical case study on custom 3D printed collars for dropped head syndrome patients

Abir Dutta  1   2 , Jim Ashworth-Beaumont  3 , Sanganagouda Patil  4 , Kia Rezajooi  4 , Deepak M Kalaskar  5
Affiliations

Clinical case study on custom 3D printed collars for dropped head syndrome patients

Abir Dutta et al. 3D Print Med. .

Abstract

Background: Dropped Head Syndrome (DHS) is a neurological condition characterized by severe head and neck muscle atrophy, leading to difficulties in maintaining a straight gaze and experiencing severe neck pain during daily activities. Standard off-the-shelf cervical orthotic devices (Neck Collars) often fail to provide adequate support for patients with DHS. This feasibility study aimed to develop and implement a novel feedback-incorporated workflow for creating personalized 3D printed (Powder Bed Fusion) cervical orthotic devices for six DHS patients with varying pathologies.

Case presentation: A tailored workflow was devised and executed to produce bespoke 3D printed cervical orthotic devices for 6 DHS patients. The effectiveness of the collars in supporting patients during activities and reducing neck pain was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using validated patient support questionnaires, Neck Disability Index, Visual Analog Score for Neck Pain, Global Cervical Angles (GCA), and Vertical Chin Brow Angles (VCBA) before and after intervention. Various clinical and design parameters were analysed to evaluate the collars' efficacy in supporting patients and reducing neck pain. Patients exhibited an increase in GCA and a decrease in VCBA when using the collars as compared to their previous condition without those. The Visual Analog Score for Neck Pain decreased over the 6-month follow-up period, indicating positive implementation of the bespoke collars.

Conclusion: The personalized design and functionality of the 3D printed collars significantly improved patients' quality of life, representing a significant advancement in rehabilitative and supportive healthcare interventions. This pilot study lays the groundwork for further large-scale cohort studies.

Keywords: 3D printing; Case study; Cervical orthotic device; Dropped head syndrome; Neck collar.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The present study is not within the scope of a clinical trial. The protocol for this feasibility study was approved by the Royal National Orthopaedics Hospital- Research Ethics Committee (REC) under compassionate patient access through Surgical Innovation and New Techniques and Technology committee. All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. All participants provided written informed consent for data collection and processing for publication. Consent for publication: Prior informed consents were obtained from the participants for publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic presentation of the workflow for development of a bespoke cervical orthotic device (neck collar) adopted and modified from Hale et al. [17]
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Representative photographs of the sagittal side view of the patients suffering from DHS, used to calculate GCA- Global Cervical Angle, VCBA- Vertical Chin Brow Angles using available clinical protocols [–21], with and without collar used (N = 6). P 1-6- stands for patient number
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Collar performance analysis from feasibility trial for patient 3, provided with and without bespoke 3D printed Neck collar: (A) Neck Pain Visual Analog score, (scale 0–10) (B) Wearing collar hours analysis, and (C) Design performance score; (scale 0–5)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Collar performance analysis from feasibility trial for patient 4, provided with and without bespoke 3D printed Neck collar: (A) Neck Pain Visual Analog score (scale 0–10), (B) Wearing collar hours analysis, and (C) Design performance score; (scale 0–5)
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