Highlights
- •Custom-molded lumbar-sacral orthoses could be effective in slowing down the progression rate of adult scoliosis.
- •Tolerance of the brace was good.
- •Bracing represents an interesting treatment option and an alternative to surgery.
Abstract
Objective
To assess the effectiveness of bracing in adult with scoliosis.
Design
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting
Outpatients followed in 2 tertiary care hospitals.
Participants
Adults (N=38) with nonoperated progressive idiopathic or degenerative scoliosis treated
by custom-molded lumbar-sacral orthoses, with a minimum follow-up time of 10 years
before bracing and 5 years after bracing. Progression was defined as a variation in
Cobb angle ≥10° between the first and the last radiograph before bracing. The brace
was prescribed to be worn for a minimum of 6h/d.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measure
Rate of progression of the Cobb angle before and after bracing measured on upright
3-ft full-spine radiographs.
Results
At the moment of bracing, the mean age was 61.3±8.2 years, and the mean Cobb angle
was 49.6°±17.7°. The mean follow-up time was 22.0±11.1 years before bracing and 8.7±3.3
years after bracing. For both types of scoliosis, the rate of progression decreased
from 1.28°±.79°/y before to .21°±.43°/y after bracing (P<.0001). For degenerative and idiopathic scoliosis, it dropped from 1.47°±.83°/y before
to .24°±.43°/y after bracing (P<.0001) and .70°±.06°/y before to .24°±.43°/y after bracing (P=.03), respectively.
Conclusions
For the first time, to our knowledge, this study suggests that underarm bracing may
be effective in slowing down the rate of progression in adult scoliosis. Further prospective
studies are needed to confirm these results.
Keyword
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 22, 2016
Footnotes
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
