(upbeat music) - [Jason] Her passion is gymnastics.

(people screaming in background) 13-year-old Sadia Wright just loves to be out there on the mat, honing her skills for nearly half her life.

- My favorite bit's, the floor.

So just the creativity I can put into that.

(people shouting in the background) - [Jason] But as the routines and years went by, she started noticing something.

- 'Cause I was constantly complaining about how my back would be hurting, and I would tell my mom and she's just like, "Well maybe you need to rest."

- [Jason] But resting didn't really help, so it was time to go to the doctor.

- So he checked me and he was like I might have scoliosis.

I was just like, "What is that?"

I didn't know what it was, but when I knew of more about it and my mom told me more about it, and Dr. Chapman told me more about it, I was just kind of like, "Dang."

- [Jason] Scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine.

Most often diagnosed in adolescence, in some extreme cases it requires surgery.

- And when they said surgery, I was like, "No."

- [Jason] Her doctor instead referred her to MIGN, a relatively new company in Charlotte's Camp North End that produces custom-made braces.

- Just as Invisalign did for bracing, you know, where they've done a digital scan and they can use their software to build a treatment plan for your teeth.

We can do that with our software for your body.

- [Jason] It begins with a clinical specialist pinpointing certain areas of focus.

Then a full body 3D scan with 20 cameras taking pictures.

- [Automated Voice] Relax your arms and shoulders and remain still.

Measuring begins in three, two, one.

- [Jason] The pictures produce a 3D computerized image which allows onsite designers to create the actual brace.

- The magic happens in here.

This is the workforce, we use this for creating most of our braces.

This is a EOS P396 selective laser-centered 3D printer.

- [Jason] A very fine nylon powder is used which melts together to form the piece.

- It is not just like us, like, building a brace, we're building a whole 3D printing manufacturing plant, basically, that allows us to really streamline the process.

- This machine takes about, depending on the height of the build, anywhere from 12 hours to 20 hours to print.

Then after that it takes about three or four hours for it to cool.

- Using the technologies that we have at our disposal with the scanning and our Genesis software, we can, you know, for the first time we can mass customize those devices to all different indications in patient sizes and shapes.

- There's a trigger down here.

(machine hissing) - [Jason] Once all the excess nylon dust is blown away and vacuumed off, the brace is complete.

- So once the person gets the brace, we can make small modifications, we send the patient on their way, and we do those follow-up to make sure that it's in alignment, what the physician is wanting in their care process.

- Took a tour of their facilities and absolutely enjoyed what they did.

Saw that it was a personalized approach, that it's not a one-size-fits-all model, and then ultimately started integrating them into my everyday use of patient care.

- [Jason] For the last couple of years, Novant Family and Sports Medicine Doctor Payton Gregory Fennell refers about three to four patients per month to MIGN.

- Over the years, I mean there have been products very similar to this.

However, what I have found that separates them, this company from other companies is that their approach to how they make the product truly is more personalized.

There are some where you can just download a, like an x-ray or something along those lines, and they make measurements, you know, without even seeing the patient.

- [Jason] And as for Sadia, admittedly getting used to and wearing the brace was challenging at first.

- 18 hours a day wearing that brace, it was kind of just like, "Okay, well I'm gonna go with it but I don't know."

But when I first put it on and felt it, I was like, "This is something I can maneuver around."

But I was like, "How I'ma do anything in this?"

- [Jason] But it was only a matter of weeks until she started noticing the braces benefits.

- My back would adjust to the brace so quickly I would have to come back like every, maybe the first brace, I think I came back maybe three weeks later 'cause my back had already adjusted to the first brace.

- [Jason] She's now wearing her third different brace and could soon be heading for her fourth.

The inconvenience, a small price to pay to avoid surgery and to getting her life back.

- I can see from when I didn't have a brace to now when I have a brace, my, I actually don't have a lot of pain anymore to be honest.

I feel a lot better, actually.

A lot better.

- [Jason] And thanks to MIGN, those custom-made braces are allowing her to continue pursuing her passion.

For "Carolina Impact" I'm Jason Terzis, reporting.

For "Carolina Impact" I'm Jason Terzis, reporting.