Design and development of the Akili supportive-heating brace for relieving low back pain in adults in low-and-middle income countries

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) has been the leading cause of lives living with disabilities since 1990 and remains a significant global public health concern. LBP is the pain in posterior aspect of the body from the lower margin to the gluteal folds. This condition is more prevalent in females than males. It is under priotized compared to other epidemics such as AIDS/HIV and endemics such malaria as well as communicable diseases. Possible etiology is associated with bulging or rupture of the vertebrae disks, facet joint damage, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis among others. Existing possible interventions to reduce this debilitating pain are mostly rudimentary and require consistency for efficiency such as restraining from strenuous activity, activity modification through avoiding certain positions, heat or ice therapy, massage, lumbosacral braces among others. With research on the gaps in these solutions, the team came up with a cost-effective and reliable solution for relieving Low Back Pain, the Akili supportive – heating brace. The principle aim of this report is to serve as a written record of the design and testing process of the Akili supportive - heating brace that provides heat therapy at the same time while restricting poor posture. It includes needs finding and needs selection, prototype development, testing protocols and their results. The working of the Akili-supportive heating brace relies on three mechanisms (heat generation mechanism, heat control and monitoring mechanism and heat supply mechanism) to generate required temperatures. The brace uses a combination of different components such as PTC heater, microcontroller, temperature sensor, relay and uses water pack to conduct heat to the back. The testing protocols established to assess efficacy of the brace prototype include the temperature accuracy test, water pack heat circulation test, thermal-compressive burst and the end-to-end performance test. The results of the tests and their explanations are also included in details in this report. Modifications and re-designs developed from testing the prototype and consultation of clinical experts are also included. This writeup concludes with challenges faced in the entire design process and the brace’s future prospects.