Comparison of Semirigid and Rigid Lumbosacral Orthoses in Association with Routine Treatment of Pain, Fear of Movement, and Disability in Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation

ABSTRACT Introduction Disc protrusion, as a type of lumbar disc herniation, is one of the most common causes of acute lower back pain. Lumbosacral orthoses (LSOs) can be used as a conservative treatment along with routine treatment (physiotherapy and medication). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of routine therapy in association with two types of rigid and semirigid LSOs compared with routine treatment alone on pain, fear of movement, and disability in patients with herniated lumbar disc. Materials and Methods In this quasi-experimental study, 27 patients with lumbar disc herniation (protrusion type) were assigned into three groups including 1, semirigid LSO with routine treatment (n = 8); 2, rigid LSOs with routine treatment (n = 8); and 3, only routine treatment (n = 11). Before using any therapeutic interventions in each group, the pain, disability, and fear of movement were recorded using the visual analog scale, Oswestry questionnaire, and Tampa questionnaire, respectively. Patients in each group then used their allocated intervention for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, variables were recorded under the same protocol. Results In between-group comparison after 4 weeks, no significant difference was observed between them in all variables (P > 0.05). In intragroup comparison, in the group of routine treatment wearing semirigid LSO, a significant decrease in disability, pain, and fear of movement was observed after 4 weeks’ use of intervention compared with before (P < 0.05). Routine treatment using rigid LSO caused a significant reduction in pain and disability and use of routine treatment significantly reduced only disability score (P < 0.05). Conclusions Based on the findings, no significant difference was found between interventions in measured outcomes. However, the use of physiotherapy and medication along with semirigid LSO improved all outcomes compared with before using. Clinical Relevance Both routine treatment alone and routine treatment along with an LSO can be used in people with herniated lumbar disc. Use of physiotherapy and medication along with semirigid LSO could improves pain, fear of movement, and disability in these patients.