Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Therapy, Institute of Medical Technology, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq | [b] TopSupport International Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China | [c] Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan | [d] Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China | [e] Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | [f] Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Therapy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Hong Chen, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Therapy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. E-mail: chenhong1129@hotmail.com.
Note: [1] Co-first author.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent disabling ailment that affects people all over the world. A wide variety of orthotic designs, ranging from lumbosacral corsets to rigid thermoplastic thoraco-lumbosacral orthosis are used for managing LBP. OBJECTIVE: Explore and summarize quality literature on the efficacy of orthotic devices in the management of LBP. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on the efficacy of orthosis in low back pain management conducted using electronic databases. Studies utilizing orthotic management alone or combined with other therapies for 2 weeks or above were included. A meta-analysis was performed on primary and secondary variables using Mean difference (MD), Inverse variance (IV), and fixed effect model with 95% CI, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2) tool were used to assess the quality of evidence and the risk bias. RESULTS: Out of 14671 studies, only 13 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) were deemed eligible for inclusion in this study, all level 1 evidence. We found that orthotics could significantly mitigate LBP (P-value < 0.00001). Similarly, a significant reeducation in LBP-associated disability was observed after orthotic intervention (P-value 0.004). CONCLUSION: Lumber orthosis plays a significant role in LBP and associated disability mitigations in sufferers of LBP.
Keywords: Low back pain, orthotic devices, assistive device, lumbosacral
