According to the current classification, almost all braces used to treat patients with idiopathic scoliosis fall in the thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) category. Consequently, the generalization of scientific results is either impossible or misleading. To address this issue, a study involving four scientific societies, the International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment, Scoliosis Research Society, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, and International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics, aimed to produce a more specific classification of the brace types.
The four organizations invited their members to be part of the study. Six level one experts developed the initial classifications. At a consensus meeting with 26 other experts and society officials, thematic analysis and general discussion was used to define the classification. It was applied to the braces published in the literature and officially approved by the four scientific societies and by the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.
The classification is based on the following classificatory items: anatomy (CTLSO, TLSO, LSO), rigidity (very rigid, rigid, elastic), primary corrective plane (frontal, sagittal, transverse, frontal & sagittal, frontal and transverse, sagittal and transverse, three-dimensional), construction-valves (monocot, bivalve, multisegmented), construction-closure (dorsal, lateral, ventral), and primary action (bending, detorsion, elongation, movement, push-up, three points). The experts developed a definition for each item and were able to classify the 15 published braces into nine groups. Experts recognize that this classification system is the first edition and will change with future understanding and research. The broad application of this classification could have value for brace research, education, clinical practice, and growth in this field.
The study, The classification of scoliosis braces developed by SOSORT with SRS, ISPO, and POSNA and approved by ESPRM, was published ahead of print in European Spine Journal.
