Effects of Knight-Taylor brace on balance performance in osteoporotic patients with vertebral compression fracture

OBJECTIVE: To assess the changes in static and dynamic balance and movement strategies in patients with severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture while wearing and not wearing the Knight-Taylor (K-T) spinal brace. SUBJECTS: 47 patients with severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture, which was confirmed on radiographs and with bone density measurements obtained by dual energy X-ray absorption. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly subjected to computerized dynamic posturography, which contained sensory organization tests, motor control balance test at 75% limit of stability (LOS) in 8 movement directions, and left/right rhythmic weight shift test (L/R RWS), while wearing and not wearing the K-T spinal brace, respectively. RESULTS: Patients wearing the spinal brace had significantly increased average stability, significantly increased average maximal stability under the swayed vision with fixed support surface condition and under the eye open with swayed support surface condition, significantly increased ankle strategy and decreased average velocity of COG target sway under the eye open with swayed support surface condition, significantly reduced the frequency of falls under the eye closed with swayed support surface condition and swayed vision with swayed support surface condition, and significantly decreased in the percentage of directional control with no difference of reaction time in the LOS test, and an increase in the on-axis velocity in the L/R RWS test. CONCLUSIONS: The K-T spinal brace efficiently enables the subjects to maintain static and dynamic motor balance. Its use decreases the fall frequency but limits the directional control in severe osteoporotic patients with vertebral compression fracture.