Abstract

Camptocormia is a postural disease that affects the elderly population and is characterized by the anteflexion of the trunk. Orthopedic medical devices, such as the Thoracic Pelvic Anterior Distractor brace, are used in combination with physiotherapy during the treatment. It is therefore important to evaluate the changes that this brace can make to posture and the erector spinae muscle performance. During this study, a postural evaluation was performed in twenty camptocormia patients by quantifying the sagittal arrows, with and without the brace, during walking. The erector spinae muscular intensity was evaluated by measuring muscular activity at the C7, T12, L3 and S1 vertebral processes during static and dynamic exercises. Throughout this study, it was possible to observe the influence of the TPAD brace in reestablishing the natural upright posture by reducing significantly the C7-SAR (sagittal arrow) and Patella-SAR, which decreased from 21cm to 9cm and from 27cm to 17cm respectively. It was observed that muscular intensity decreased significantly in all evaluated vertebral levels when patients used the brace in static positions. The non-significant change in muscular activity during walking (from beginning to end) suggests that the brace promotes stable muscular activity in the erector spine muscles.

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