Impact of Postoperative Bracing Following Spinal Fusion for Degenerative Lumbar Conditions: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Forest plots comparing (A) operative time in minutes, (B) blood loss in mL, and (C) hospital length of stay in days between the brace and the no-brace groups. IV, Inverse Variance .

(A) Forest plot comparing changes in VAS in the early postoperative period in the brace group compared with the no-brace group. (B) Forest plot comparing changes in VAS at last follow-up period in the brace group compared with the no-brace group. IV, inverse variance; VAS, visual analog scale.

(A) Forest plot comparing changes in ODI in the early postoperative period in the brace group compared with the no-brace group. (B) Forest plot comparing changes in ODI at the last follow-up period in the brace group compared with the no-brace group. IV, inverse variance; ODI, Oswestry Disability Index.

(A) Forest plot comparing fusion rates between the brace and the no-brace groups. (B) Forest plot comparing complications between the brace and the no-brace groups. M-H, Mantel-Haenszel.

Study quality assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Green indicates low risk of bias, yellow indicates unclear risk of bias, and red indicates high risk of bias.