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Back brace after spine surgery: help or hype?
NCT ID NCT02773134
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether wearing a back brace after spinal fusion surgery improves pain and quality of life. 43 adults with degenerative spine conditions were randomly assigned to wear a brace or not. Researchers measured disability, pain, and general health at 6 weeks and 3 months after surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- back brace
- What this could lead to
- If wearing a brace after spinal fusion helps, it could give doctors a simple way to improve recovery and reduce pain for patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 43 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The brace might not make a meaningful difference in pain or quality of life.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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43 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Mar 2009
- Finished
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May 2016
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 66 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease (degenerative spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, or degenerative disc disease); * Patients scheduled for an elective posterior spinal fusion. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with obesity (BMI \> 35kg/m2).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can keyhole spine fusion ease chronic back pain?
- Can ultrasound dye reveal spinal cord damage Mid-Surgery?
- Can a One-Day mindset workshop stop chronic pain after back surgery?
- A new ligament-tethering technique may spare spine patients from fusion surgery
- Fine-tuning nerve monitoring during spine surgery could reduce injury risk
- New surgical approach aims to fix failed back fusions by restoring natural spinal curve