Comparison of the Immediate Effects of Spinomed Orthosis and Biofeedback Orthosis on Balance and Walking Performance in Elderly Individuals With Thoracic Hyperkyphosis

Hyperkyphosis, defined as excessive sagittal curvature of the thoracic spine, is the most common spinal deformity in elderly individuals. The prevalence of hyperkyphosis in elderly individuals is reported to be between 20% and 40%. Hyperkyphosis affects the mobility, walking, and balance of the individual negatively and causes changes in the physical performance of elderly individuals. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and treat hyperkyphosis in elderly people. One of the approaches to treating people with hyperkyphosis is the use of spinal orthoses such as the Spinomed orthosis and Biofeedback orthosis. Regular use of spinal orthoses reduces the angle of kyphosis by 11%. In addition, spinal orthoses help increase walking speed and distance, improve balance, and prevent falls. Spinomed and Biofeedback soft posture orthoses are spinal orthoses used in the treatment of kyphotic posture. Studies on Spinomed orthosis have demonstrated that it strengthens postural muscles, and therefore also prevents falls. Soft orthoses, which provide feedback, provide a warning to the individual through sound or vibration when the spinal alignment of the individual is disturbed, and provide the correction of posture with active muscle strength. However, little evidence exists regarding the effect of these two orthoses on improving balance and walking performance in elderly people with thoracic hyperkyphosis. Therefore, this study was developed to enable a comparison of the effect of the Spinomed orthosis and the biofeedback orthosis on balance and walking performance in elderly people with thoracic hyperkyphosis.