Is orthotic treatment beneficial for fresh osteoporotic vertebral fractures? A propensity score matching study

• Published in: The spine journal 2024-12, Vol.24 (12), p.2343-2355
• Main Authors: Iwamae, Masayoshi, Takahashi, Shinji, Terai, Hidetomi, Tamai, Koji, Hoshino, Masatoshi, Kobayashi, Yuto, Umano, Masayuki, Sasaki, Ryo, Uematsu, Masato, Katsuda, Hiroshi, Shimada, Nagakazu, Nakamura, Hiroaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brace treatment; Braces; Conservative treatment; Female; Humans; Imminent fracture risk; Low Back Pain - therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Orthotic Devices; Orthotic treatment; Osteoporotic Fractures - therapy; Osteoporotic vertebral fracture; Propensity Score; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Secondary vertebral fracture; Spinal Fractures - therapy; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1529-9430; 1878-1632; 1878-1632
• DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2024.08.002

•We studied effectiveness of orthotics for osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF).•Orthotic treatment for OVF could contribute to the stabilization of fractured vertebra.•It could reduce the imminent vertebral fracture risk immediately after onset of OVF. Orthotic treatment is a common option for the conservative treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF). However, there is insufficient evidence of its clinical benefit. To investigate the effectiveness of orthotic treatment for OVF. Retrospective cohort study with data from two prospective studies. This study included 160 patients with fresh OVF enrolled in 2012 and 2020 prospective cohort studies. The visual analog scale (VAS) score for low back pain was used for clinical outcomes, and radiographic parameters included the percent height of the vertebra and angular change of the vertebral body. Moreover, the occurrence of secondary vertebral fractures was followed-up over time. The patients were divided into brace and no-brace groups and were matched according to propensity score for age, sex, anterior percent height at the initial examination, and presence of old OVFs. Hazard ratio for the cumulative incidence of secondary vertebral fractures with and without bracing were calculated and analyzed using the generalized Wilcoxon test. In addition, the brace group was divided into soft and rigid brace groups and compared with the no-brace group. Each group had 61 cases after propensity score matching. There were no significant differences in the VAS improvement for low back pain and the change in percent height of the anterior and posterior walls from initial examination to 6 months after injury (p=.87, p=.39 and p=.14, respectively, mixed-effect models). Meanwhile, the mean angular change of fractured vertebrae was 4.3° / 3.2° initially and 1.2° / 2.5° at 6 months (the brace group / no-brace group, respectively; p=.007, mixed-effect models). A significant difference was also observed between the rigid brace group and the no-brace group (p=.008, mixed effect models). The incidence of secondary vertebral fractures was 1.6% / 11.4% at 1 month, indicating a significant difference (the brace group / no-brace group, respectively; p=.028). The hazard ratio for the cumulative incidence of secondary fractures due to orthotic treatment was 0.47 (95% confidence interval 0.20–1.09, p=.054). Although orthotic treatment for fresh OVF did not relieve pain, it might contribute to the stabilization of the fractured v