Objective Monitoring of Brace Wearing Time in Adolescents with Scheuermann’s Kyphosis

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study.PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the potential differences between the objective and subjective bracing compliances of adolescents with Scheuermann’s kyphosis.OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE Bracing is a well-documented intervention for managing adolescents with progressive thoracic Scheuermann’s kyphosis, and the brace should be worn 23 hours every day. Most research studies that have investigated the efficacy of bracing have assumed that the patients wore the braces as advised or that the bracing time was measured subjectively. This may be one of the reasons for the conflicting reports regarding the efficacy of bracing.METHODS: Nineteen volunteers (11 girls and 7 boys, 12.89±1.77 years) who were prescribed Milwaukee braces for Scheuermann’s kyphosis were enrolled. Each brace was equipped with a miniature temperature logger to record the actual brace wearing time over a period of 3 weeks. The patients and their families were unaware of the mounted sensor. Each participants and/or parent was provided with a questionnaire to record the number of hours for which the brace was worn each day. In addition, the therapist asked each patient and/or his/her parent about the average number of hours that the brace was worn.RESULTS: The compliance rates measured using the temperature logger (16.00±4.90 hours daily) were significantly lower than those reported in the questionnaires (19.52±6.04 hours daily, p<0.001) and the verbal responses (20.21±6.05 hours daily, p<0.001). Moreover, there was no correlation of age, sex, and body mass index with brace compliance.CONCLUSIONS: The braces were worn less often than reported by the patients and/or their parents. Therefore, objective compliance assessments of adolescents with Scheuermann’s kyphosis in a brace are recommended for future studies.