Impact of posture correction girdle on adolescents with early scoliosis

Abstract

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a prevalent condition among adolescents that gradually leads to 3-dimensional spinal deformity. The spinal curvature increases as puberty progresses but patients with a less severe curvature between 25 to 40 degrees do not need surgical treatment. Instead, a brace is worn to control the curve progression. However, the brace needs to be worn for long periods of time, which can lead to skin irritation and discomfort. These issues thus result in low compliance and potential spinal curve progression, which can affect vital organ functions. I am therefore interested in finding out whether an alternative to the brace would increase treatment compliance, provide a non-invasive method to control posture and reduce spinal curve progression. A multi-disciplinary collaborative study was carried out that combined clinical experience with textile and materials sciences to design a posture correction girdle. The design process involved the 3D modeling of the trunk shape of the patients, girdle design, material selection and fabrication of the girdle, passive and active modes of correction, and clinical trials. The girdle is also equipped with sensors, which monitor posture daily. The wear trial results showed posture improvements which might be resultant of the supportive and corrective forces exerted by the tight-fitting girdle using elastic straps, plastic bones and EVA padding. An evaluation on the effectiveness of the girdle on controlling spinal deformity showed that 15% of the subjects in the study experienced reductions in their spinal curve while the spinal curves of 57% of subjects did not progress further. The results have been communicated in the Textile Research Journal and Advances in Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors, at the 7th Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Symposium and Textile Summit and Research Student Conference, and exhibited at The 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.