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

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.

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.

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.

The use of a postural shirt in patients with PD symmetrized the postural load and enlarged the foot contact surface improving their balance.