Design and Analysis of a Dynamic Neck Brace

Neck braces and cervical traction are two techniques that are used to relief neck pain. Static braces are used to stabilize the neck but may become uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Cervical traction is used to decrease intradiscal pressure and thus relief nerve pain. Unfortunately, both techniques cannot be applied simultaneously, and must be applied separately, which affect the efficiency of intended results with prolonged duration. The aim of this paper is to design a parallel manipulator dynamic neck brace that controls the posture of head and neck and can be used for cervical traction that allows application of flexible treatment protocols tailored to each patient according to his condition. Forward and inverse kinematics were applied using Matlab to obtain the workspace of the system and the design was validated using Solidworks. The results of the Matlab and Solidworks were identical and showed that the moving platform can apply Flexion/Extension from -8° to 8° and lateral bending from -7° to 7° with axial translation from 0 to 20 mm.