The Effect of Boston Brace on Lower Limb and L5-S1 Joint Contact Forces during Walking in Patients with Idiopathic Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine that affects walking in these patients. Using orthotics is one of the most common treatments for scoliosis patients. There is little knowledge about the effect of orthotics on joint contact forces during walking. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess the effect of Boston brace on lower limb and L5-S1 joint contact forces during walking in scoliosis patients.
5 girls with idiopathic scoliosis participated in this study. Qualysis motion analysis system and a Kistler forceplate were used to record data. SPSS software (independent t-test) was used to analyze data at the set point of 0.05.
Finding: The first (α=0.02) and second (α=0.04) peak of vertical ground reaction force were 18.8 and 20.05 N/BW respectively during walking with brace which was significantly greater than that of these forces during walking without brace. The excursion of the trunk in sagittal plane significantly decreased during walking with brace (α=0.02).
Discussion & Boston brace did not affect gait kinetics and kinematics significantly in self-selected speed except L5-S1 range of motion and first and second vertical ground reaction forces. So Boston brace has no negative effect on lower limb joints and L5-S1 joint during walking with self-selected speed.