Abstract
Objectives
To systematically review and synthesize the effects of soft braces on pain and on
self-reported and performance-based physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Data Sources
The following electronic databases were searched from inception to April 20, 2016:
The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL,
SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and PEDro.
Study Selection
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized controlled trials (non-RCTs),
such as controlled clinical trials, crossover studies, and case-control studies, were
included. Two reviewers independently screened articles and determined inclusion through
predefined criteria.
Data Extraction
Data related to participant demographics, study design and methods, interventions,
and outcomes, including numerical means and SDs, were extracted by 1 reviewer. Methodological
quality assessment was independently performed by 2 reviewers.
Data Synthesis
Eleven studies were identified, including 6 RCTs and 5 non-RCTs. The methodological
quality of included RCTs was low. There was a moderate improvement in pain (standardized
mean difference [SMD]=.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], .14–.89; P=.007; 284 participants) in favor of wearing a brace compared with not wearing a brace
for the immediate, within-group comparison. There was a moderate improvement in pain
(SMD=.61; 95% CI, .33–.89; P<.001; 206 participants) and a small to moderate improvement in self-reported physical
function (SMD=.39; 95% CI, .11–.67; P=.006; 206 participants) in favor of patients receiving a soft brace versus standard
care for the prolonged effect, between-group comparison.
Conclusions
Currently available evidence indicates that soft braces have moderate effects on pain
and small to moderate effects on self-reported physical function in knee osteoarthritis.
These findings highlight the importance of soft braces as a technique to improve pain
and physical function in both the short- and long-term. Additional high-quality studies
are warranted to improve confidence in the findings.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CI (confidence interval), K&L (Kellgren & Lawrence), OA (osteoarthritis), PFOA (patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis), RCT (randomized controlled trial), 6MWT (6-minute walk test), SMD (standardized mean difference), TFOA (tibiofemoral joint osteoarthritis), TUG (Timed Up and Go)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 04, 2017
Footnotes
Supported by the European Union Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Initial Training Networks, Seventh Framework Programme, under grant number 607510. European Union did not contribute to design, interpretation of data, drafting, and final approval of the manuscript.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
