Effects of a posture shirt with back active correction keeper on static and dynamic balance in Parkinson's disease

Background: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) suffer from postural disorders. This study aims at investigating the short-and medium-term effects of a shirt with appropriate tie-rods that allows to correct the posture of the trunk. Methods: This is a longitudinal clinical study in which a pressure platform was used to assess the static and dynamic baropodometry and the static stabilometry of 20 patients with PD (70.95 +/- 8.39 years old; 13 males, time from the onset of symptoms: 6.95 +/- 4.04 years, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score: UPDRS = 7.25 +/- 6.26) without and with a shirt, specifically designed for improving posture, at baseline and after one month of wearing. Results: The results showed a significant improvement in symmetry of loads (p = 0.015) and an enlargement of the foot contact surface (p = 0.038). A significant correlation was found between the change in forefoot load and time spent daily in wearing the shirt (R = 0.575, p = 0.008), with an optimal value identified at 8 h per day. Conclusion: The use of a postural shirt in patients with PD symmetrized the postural load and enlarged the foot contact surface improving their balance. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.