How ORTHOtechnik M4 Continues to Simplify the Cranial Helmet Therapy Process

For infants diagnosed with skull deformities, early intervention plays a critical role in guiding healthy cranial development. Cranial helmet therapy is widely used to gently shape a baby’s skull over time—but the effectiveness of this treatment depends heavily on one key factor: accurate head measurement.

Traditionally, this has been achieved through plaster casting. However, for many clinicians, especially when working with infants, this method presents practical and emotional challenges.

When ORTHOtechnik M4 in Austria began offering cranial helmet therapy five years ago, the team made a deliberate decision:

rather than adapting traditional casting methods, they would build the workflow entirely around digital technologies from the start.

"We only started using head helmets five years ago, and we started out using scanning technology exclusively. We never used plaster casts."

-- Gerald Kastner, Head of Orthopedic Technology at ORTHOtechnik M4

 

This early commitment to digital workflows laid the foundation for a more efficient and patient-friendly treatment process.

Why Move Away from Traditional Casting?

Although the team had prior experience using plaster casting for hands and feet, applying the same method to infants’ heads raised immediate concerns.

Cranial helmet therapy requires not only precision, but also a process that is safe, fast, and minimally stressful. In practice, traditional casting often falls short in several ways:

• Discomfort for infants

• Stressful experience for parents

• Time-consuming procedures

• Risk of inaccuracies

As orthopedic technician Hannah Sigl explains:

"I can't imagine it being any other way, because just the idea of putting a cast on a baby's head doesn't seem easy to me."

Building the First Digital Workflow with EinScan H2

To address these challenges, ORTHOtechnik M4 implemented a fully digital workflow centered around 3D scanning and 3D printing. The EinScan H2 became a key component in this first phase.

With the ability to capture precise head data in as little as 30 seconds, the scanning process significantly reduced the burden on both patients and clinicians. This speed is particularly important when working with infants, who have limited tolerance for long procedures.

As Hannah notes, it's so simple today with 3D scanning or with a scanner... It works so smoothly, so easily, and the children don't cry.

This efficiency also improves the experience for families. One parent of a young patient shared their initial lack of expectations and subsequent pleasant surprise.

"I find 3D measurement very practical, especially when it comes to small children. The process is very entertaining; it only takes a certain amount of time to hold their attention, and then it's over. Especially with a child, I find that many things are complicated, and it was simply a brief relief that this wasn't a long process."

Transitioning to EinScan Medixa

While the EinScan H2 enabled a reliable digital process, daily clinical use revealed opportunities for further optimization—particularly in flexibility, ease of use, and handling real-world challenges such as patient movement. Rather than changing their workflow, ORTHOtechnik M4 aimed to refine and simplify it further. This led to the transition to EinScan Medixa.

The move to the EinScan Medixa wasn’t just about adopting a new device—it was about improving the workflow that already worked well, and making it simpler and more flexible in practice.

Conclusion

At ORTHOtechnik M4, the transition from EinScan H2 to EinScan Medixa represents a natural evolution of an already digital workflow. Rather than changing how they work, Medixa further simplifies the process—making scanning more portable, more flexible, more intuitive, and more robust in daily clinical use.

For clinicians, this means greater efficiency. For patients and their families, it means a faster, easier, and more comfortable experience.

About ORTHOtechnik M4

As a part of the ORTHOtechnik family, ORTHOtechnik M4 provides customers with high-quality medical assistive devices, ranging from wheelchairs to rehabilitation tools to assist with walking, standing and sitting. They also produce custom orthoses and prosthesis in their own workshop with the highest standards. By integrating modern manufacturing technologies like 3D scanning and 3D printing, ORTHOtechnik M4 achieves personalized and precise adjustments for their patients.