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Purpose <p>Cervical orthoses are widely used in the management of cervical spine (c-spine) injuries, serving to limit motion, alleviate pain, and enhance patient security. While extensive research has examined soft and rigid cervical braces, data on semi-rigid braces, such as the PDC collar, remain scarce. This study aims to compare the immobilizing effects of a semi-rigid cervical orthosis to those of a soft and a rigid orthosis on c-spine mobility in healthy individuals.</p> Methods <p>In a prospective study, 20 healthy participants (mean age 28.0 ± 6.0 years) underwent motion analysis using a 3D camera system under four conditions: without an orthosis and while wearing a soft, semi-rigid, and rigid orthosis. Maximum cervical range of motion (ROM) was measured during flexion/extension, lateral flexion, and axial rotation. The maximum active ROM was determined for each orthosis. After testing for normal distribution (Shapiro-Wilk test), repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni-corrected t-tests was used for pairwise comparison of absolute ROM across orthoses.</p> Results <p>All orthoses significantly restricted ROM compared to the unrestricted state (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Flexion/extension was the most restricted movement across all orthoses. The rigid orthosis provided the greatest restriction in all three movement directions, significantly reducing flexion/extension to 27.5° from an unrestricted ROM of 107.3° (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). It also restricted rotation and lateral flexion significantly more than the semi-rigid and soft orthoses (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). The semi-rigid orthosis significantly reduced flexion/extension compared to the soft collar (39.1° vs. 48.1°, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), while no significant differences were observed between the two in rotation or lateral flexion.</p> Conclusion <p>The semi-rigid orthosis effectively limits c-spine mobility, particularly in flexion/extension, offering an intermediate option between soft and rigid braces. Its use may balance immobilization needs and patient comfort in cases requiring moderate motion restriction without increased complication risks.</p>

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Comparison of the immobilizing effect of soft, semi-rigid and rigid neck orthoses

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年4月16日

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  • Maxi Schulz,
  • Martin Heilemann,
  • Toni Wendler,
  • Christoph-Eckhard Heyde,
  • Stefan Schleifenbaum,
  • Georg Osterhoff,
  • Dina Wiersbicki

摘要

Purpose

Cervical orthoses are widely used in the management of cervical spine (c-spine) injuries, serving to limit motion, alleviate pain, and enhance patient security. While extensive research has examined soft and rigid cervical braces, data on semi-rigid braces, such as the PDC collar, remain scarce. This study aims to compare the immobilizing effects of a semi-rigid cervical orthosis to those of a soft and a rigid orthosis on c-spine mobility in healthy individuals.

Methods

In a prospective study, 20 healthy participants (mean age 28.0 ± 6.0 years) underwent motion analysis using a 3D camera system under four conditions: without an orthosis and while wearing a soft, semi-rigid, and rigid orthosis. Maximum cervical range of motion (ROM) was measured during flexion/extension, lateral flexion, and axial rotation. The maximum active ROM was determined for each orthosis. After testing for normal distribution (Shapiro-Wilk test), repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni-corrected t-tests was used for pairwise comparison of absolute ROM across orthoses.

Results

All orthoses significantly restricted ROM compared to the unrestricted state (p < 0.01). Flexion/extension was the most restricted movement across all orthoses. The rigid orthosis provided the greatest restriction in all three movement directions, significantly reducing flexion/extension to 27.5° from an unrestricted ROM of 107.3° (p < 0.01). It also restricted rotation and lateral flexion significantly more than the semi-rigid and soft orthoses (p < 0.01). The semi-rigid orthosis significantly reduced flexion/extension compared to the soft collar (39.1° vs. 48.1°, p < 0.01), while no significant differences were observed between the two in rotation or lateral flexion.

Conclusion

The semi-rigid orthosis effectively limits c-spine mobility, particularly in flexion/extension, offering an intermediate option between soft and rigid braces. Its use may balance immobilization needs and patient comfort in cases requiring moderate motion restriction without increased complication risks.