Soft and Rigid Collars Provide Similar Restriction in Cervical Range of Motion During Fifteen Activities of Daily Living
Miller, Christopher P. BA; Bible, Jesse E. MD; Jegede, Kola A. BA; Whang, Peter G. MD; Grauer, Jonathan N. MD
Spine, June 2010 – Volume 35 – Issue 13 – pp 1271-1278
Conclusion. Although subjects exhibited less full, active ROM of the cervical spine when immobilized in a rigid collar than when they were placed in a soft collar, the motion recorded during various functional tasks was not significantly different for nearly all of the ADLs in this study, regardless of which cervical device was applied. One potential explanation for this finding is that both collars may serve as proprioceptive guides, which allow patients to regulate their own cervical motion based on their level of comfort. Given the paucity of data supporting the use of postoperative bracing, especially after procedures which incorporate internal fixation, this study indicates that a rigid orthosis may be unnecessary in many cases because even a soft collar seems to be sufficient for restricting motion during routine activities until the normal, physiologic ROM of the cervical spine has been restored.
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