Many neuromuscular diseases can lead to detachment of the shoulder blades (scapula alata) causing functional and aesthetic discomfort, or even severe pain.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (Switzerland) have developed an adjustable textile-based orthosis to reduce shoulder detachment. In a clinical trial conducted in eight participants with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (n = 6), autoimmune necrotizing myopathy (n = 1) or calpainopathy (n = 1), this medical device resulted in improvement :
- shoulder flexion and abduction, respectively + 6.2 ° on average (up to + 21.2 °) and + 5.8 ° (up to + 10.7 °);
- with, in three of the eight participants, amplitude gains at least equal to those of a physiotherapist pressing the scapula with both hands against the thorax during shoulder movements.
While the Swiss orthosis appears to be less effective from a functional point of view than a successful scapula fixation surgery, it has the advantage of being non-invasive and of producing benefits that are as instant as they are reversible, to be confirmed however by additional tests.
Reaching higher: External scapula assistance can improve upper limb function in humans with irreversible scapula alata. Georgarakis AM, Xiloyannis M, Dettmers C et al. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2021 Sep 3;18(1):131.
