Table 4. Summary of findings (SOF) table of un-soft brace vs. soft brace.
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects (95% CIs) | No. of participants (studies) | Overall quality of evidence (GRADE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain reduction-pooled data | SMD 0.38 fewer (0.83 fewer to 0.07 more) | 79 (2 studies) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW*,†,‡ | |||
| Pain reduction-TLSO | SMD 0.31 fewer (1.06 fewer to 0.44 more) | 28 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW§,∥ | |||
| Pain reduction-Spinomed orthosis | SMD 0.42 fewer (0.97 fewer to 0.14 more) | 51 (1 study) | ⊕⊕◯◯ |
| LOW¶,‡ | |||
| Kyphosis angle-pooled data | SMD 0.19 fewer (0.83 fewer to 1.2 more) | 38 (2 studies) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW**,†,∥ | |||
| Kyphosis angle-TLSO | SMD 0.2 fewer (0.95 fewer to 0.54 more) | 28 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW††,∥ | |||
| Kyphosis angle-Spinomed orthosis | SMD 0.88 more (0.46 fewer to 2.21 more) | 10 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW‡‡,∥ | |||
| Quality of life-pooled data | SMD 0.25 fewer (0.69 fewer to 0.02 more) | 79 (2 studies) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW*,†,‡ | |||
| Quality of life-TLSO | SMD 0.33 fewer (1.08 fewer to 0.43 more) | 28 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ |
| VERY LOW§,∥ | |||
| Quality of life-Spinomed brace | SMD 0.21 fewer (0.76 fewer to 0.34 more) | 51 (1 study) | ⊕⊕◯◯ |
| LOW¶,‡ |
CIs, confidence intervals; SMD, standardized mean difference; RCT, randomized controlled trial; TLSO, thoracolumbar sacral orthosis.
*Serious study limitation: two trials were included, with high risk of performance bias and detection bias; †Serious inconsistency: measurement time was different between studies; ‡Serious imprecision: sample size was smaller than 400; §Serious study limitation: one study was included, with high risk of performance bias and detection bias; ∥Very serious imprecision: sample size was too small and CIs was wide; ¶Serious study limitation: one study was included, with high risk of performance and detection bias; **Serious study limitation: two trials were included, with high risk of performing bias; ††Serious study limitation: one study was included, with high risk of performance bias; ‡‡Serious study limitation: one study was included, with high risk of performance and unclear risk of selection bias.