Title:
A retrospective study of twenty-three adults treated for scoliosis using the Spinecor Orthosis

From 4th International Conference on Conservative Management of Spinal Deformities Boston, MA, USA. Scoliosis , 2(Suppl 1):S23, 13-16, May 2007

Authors;
Gary Deutchman , Marc Lamantia, Joseph Indelacato and Marianna Raykhman

Objective
To determine if non-surgical treatment using the Spinecor brace can effectively reduce adult scoliosis curvature magnitude.

Study design
Twenty-three adults between the ages eighteen and sixty-five years, seeking treatment for adolescent onset idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) were fitted with the Spinecor Orthosis [1] after being exposed to an anterior-posterior (AP) full spine and lateral full spine radiograph, with a minimum of three months between exposures and a maximum of one year. Measurements of the radiographs were performed using a digital inclinometer in order to reduce error and all projections were exposed without the orthosis.

Results
Patients were separated into three groups based on curvature location: Thoracic (T), Thoracolumbar (TL) and Lumbar (L). T-tests were performedusing the initial and follow-up Cobb measurements of AP radiographs for each of the three groups. The maximum (T) reduced from 94 degrees to 77 degrees (-12.2%) following a minimum of three months of treatment. The maximum (TL) measurement reduced from 31 degrees to 23 degrees (-13.4%), and the (L) minimum reduced from 17 degrees to 11.1 degrees (-15.3%). The patients in the "Thoracic" group (n = 20) had a mean average change of -5.27 degrees. The "Thoracolumbar" group (n = 3) had a mean average change of -6.0 degrees. The Lumbar group (n = 15) had a mean average change of -4.40 degrees.

Conclusion
These findings suggest the use of a flexible strapping orthosis (Spinecor) is an effective tool in the management of adult scoliosis. Long term studies are necessary to determine the sustainability of these early positive results.

思春期に特発性脊柱側湾症だった方々23名に SpineCor 装具を装着して、その効果を調査したという論文です。胸椎型、ダブルカーブ型、腰椎型のいずれにおいて、おおよそ4〜5度の Cobb 角の減少が見られたと記載されています。SpineCor 装具は日本にまだ導入されていません。他の装具が全て強固に固定してしまうタイプであることに対し、この装具は紐を体に巻きつけるだけようです。見るからに身体の動きが楽にできるようです。日本の側彎症専門医療機関には何も情報がないのが残念です。