# Influence of Wearing Corsets During Radiation Therapy in Patients With Thoracic or Lumbar Spinal Bone Metastases

## TL;DR

Wearing corsets during radiation therapy helps improve daily living and reduce pain in patients with spinal bone metastases.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of corsets in supporting early mobilization during radiation therapy for spinal metastases.

## Key findings

- The unstable group showed significant improvements in ADL and QoL after RT.
- Pain was significantly reduced in the unstable group one month after RT.
- The stable group showed significant QoL improvement after RT.

## Abstract

Background

This study aimed to examine the influence of wearing a corset with radiation therapy (RT) on pain, activities of daily living (ADL), and quality of life (QoL) in patients with thoracic or lumbar spinal bone metastases one month after RT.

Methodology

Fifty-two patients (24 males and 28 females) with thoracic or lumbar spinal bone metastases whose measurements were recorded at our institute between July 2012 and December 2016 were included in this study. Age, sex, ADL, pain, spinal instability, and QoL were investigated in our analyses. Patients were divided into stable (0-6 points) and unstable (7-18 points) groups based on their spinal instability neoplastic score. Patients in the stable and unstable groups performed early mobilization depending on their condition. The unstable group wore corsets. The corsets were soft and were worn for three months from the start of RT.

Results

The unstable group showed significant improvements in ADL and QoL and a significant reduction in pain one month after RT (P < 0.05). The stable group showed a significant improvement in QoL one month after RT (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Corsets were effective for enabling early movement without lowering QoL in patients with spinal instability of thoracic or lumbar bone metastases.