The WISH-type S-form brace, is considered to improve hip function and gait in patients presenting with painful hip osteoarthritis (OA).
To evaluate the effects of the brace on functional mobility.
Cross sectional survey.
The Timed Up & Go Test (TUG) was performed with right and left turns separately in each subject.
In the patients with the bilateral hip brace, the average time to complete the TUG (8.3 ± 1.7 seconds) was significantly shorter than in those without the brace (9.4 ± 2.9 seconds). On the other hand, for the patients with unilateral hip OA, the improvement of TUG with the hip brace was significant in turning the unbraced leg inside (7.4 ± 1.1 vs. 7.6 ± 1.2 seconds), while not turning the braced leg inside (7.5 ± 1.1 vs. 7.6 ± 1.2 seconds). Furthermore, significant improvement of TUG was found at three-month follow-up and maintained until the 12-month follow-up assessment. This improvement was independent of the application of the brace at the assessment.
The direct effect of the hip brace may be related to the hip function in the turning phase of TUG. In addition, mechanical improvements due to daily exercise may provide an indirect, but essential, effect of the brace on TUG performance.