The Use of External Support in the Treatment of Low-Back Pain

REPORT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ORTHOTICS OF THE COMMITTEE ON PROSTHETIC-ORTHOTIC EDUCATION, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

¹ Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, 7601 East Imperial Highway, Downey, California 90242

The purpose of the study was to identify among the forty-plus types of support listed in the literature those which are being used in the care of problems of the low back today. Through the generous cooperation of the membership of The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons this was accomplished. Eighty-six per cent of the indications were related to five types of support with the lumbosacral corset and the chairback (Knight) brace strongly predominant. The other types of support were the Williams brace, a body cast, and flexion cast. A general relationship between clinical condition and choice of support, as well as an impression of their function, were also identified.

These data represent clinical opinions; no objective measurements were made. Controlled testing of actual effectiveness, identification of their precise functions, and a review of present limitations may restrict the list even further or, conversely, new designs may evolve.

It should also be recognized, as many of the respondents indicated, that this review of external support prescription considered only one facet in the management of low-back pain.

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