{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T06:20:31Z","timestamp":1791872431920,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,20]],"date-time":"2025-02-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740009600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Departmental Grant of the School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University","award":["PolyU RPPU"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PolyU RPPU"]}]},{"name":"Departmental Grant of the School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University","award":["3-RC53"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["3-RC53"]}]},{"name":"Research Impact Fund provided by The Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong","award":["PolyU RPPU"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PolyU RPPU"]}]},{"name":"Research Impact Fund provided by The Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong","award":["3-RC53"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["3-RC53"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Bracing is a widely used conservative treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients, yet there is no consensus on the optimal amount of force applied. Although a number of different sensors have been developed to continuously monitor the applied pressure and force, they have several limitations, including inadequate overall force distribution and displacement. They also cause discomfort with limited wearability. In this study, body pressure mapping knitwear (BPMK) integrated with fourteen silicone-embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is developed to monitor immediate and overall changes in force during the bracing treatment. A wear trial of the BPMK is conducted by using a validated soft AIS mannequin, and prediction equations have been formulated for the FBG sensors at individual locations. The findings indicate that the measured forces are in good agreement with those obtained from clinical studies, with peak forces around the padding regions reaching approximately 2N. This was further validated by using finite element (FE) models. When comparing X-ray images, the estimated differences in Cobb angles were found to be 0.6\u00b0 for the thoracic region and 2.1\u00b0 for the lumbar region. This model is expected to provide valuable insights into optimal force application, thus minimizing the risk of injury and enhancing bracing compliance and efficacy. Ultimately, this innovative approach provides clinicians with data-driven insights for safer and more effective bracing applications, thus improving the quality of life of AIS patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s25051284","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,20]],"date-time":"2025-02-20T04:53:39Z","timestamp":1740027219000},"page":"1284","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Enhancing Orthotic Treatment for Scoliosis: Development of Body Pressure Mapping Knitwear with Integrated FBG Sensors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6013-3401","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ka-Po","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhijun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Foshan Fifth People\u2019s Hospital (Foshan Rehabilitation Hospital), Foshan 528211, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1135-7871","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lin","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruixin","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Queenie","family":"Fok","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chao","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Photonics Research Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1694-1094","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Linyue","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Photonics Research Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7052-0875","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jason Pui-Yin","family":"Cheung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kit-Lun","family":"Yick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3270-4702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanne","family":"Yip","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, M., Nie, Q., Liu, J., and Jiang, Z. 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