Brace Effects on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters from Pedobarography in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a threedimensional deformation of the spine typically occuring in adolescents, mainly females. Untreated AIS can lead to the need for surgical intervention or to severe back problems later in life. The conventional treatment of AIS involves the use of custom-made braces, combined with physiotherapy. The therapeutic efficiency of the braces is determined using static X-rays. Dynamic evaluations are based on the experience of orthopedic technicians. However, evidence-based knowledge is needed to compare treatment objectively. Gait analysis offers the potential of dynamically assessing the effect of braces without radiation. To evaluate the evidence-based effect of braces using gait analysis, it is first necessary to identify differences between gait with and without brace. Therefore, in this pilot study, pedobarographic gait analyses of nine AIS patients were examined and evaluated. We comprised 199 dynamic gait parameters extracted from pedobarographic measurements covering spatiotemporal gait parameters, pressure and force distributions of foot zones. Logistic regression analysis was used to classify gait with and without brace. A significant model (p < 0.01) with two significant coefficients (p < 0.05) was revealed covering time to maximum force in relation to segment contact time for left rear and maximum pressure of left toe. Overall classification performance showed an accuracy of 88.9% to distinguish between with and without brace. Our study demonstrates that there are differences in the gait patterns of AIS patients with and without braces. Further studies, including a more extensive data set, may yield evidence-based findings on the effect of braces on dynamic gait patterns to be used in customized braces for the improved effectiveness in therapy.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)441-444
Number of pages4
JournalCurrent Directions in Biomedical Engineering
Volume11
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0009-0008-0416-6442/work/196695841
unpaywall 10.1515/cdbme-2025-0212
Mendeley 5d4ef3c1-de1f-36f3-b6ba-db39b4d5adc6

Keywords