Orthoses for Spinal Trauma and Postoperative Care

The primary goal of a spinal orthotic is to increase spinal stability in all anatomical planes to support immobilization. Secondary goals include limiting progression of deformity and providing stability for healing. When determining a treatment plan after spinal trauma, the team must first define spinal stability to determine the risk of neurologic compromise. For some stable vertebral fractures, nonoperative treatment may be a reasonable alternative to surgery, achieving comparable long-term results as the use of spinal orthotics. For an unstable fracture requiring surgical intervention, spinal orthotics can be considered in the postoperative phase. The scientific evidence regarding whether spinal orthotics should be used after a spinal trauma and postoperative care varies widely based on the anatomical location of the injury, fracture type, stability, mechanism of injury, intended outcome, and individual comorbidity.