Thermoplastic Minerva body jacket--a practical alternative to current methods of cervical spine stabilization. A clinical report.

The halo body jacket and plaster Minerva body jacket have been the preferred orthoses when maximal stabilization of the cervical spine is required. This report identifies some disadvantages of these orthoses, introduces the thermoplastic Minerva body jacket (TMBJ), and discusses its advantages in the rehabilitation of patients with cervical spine instability. A preliminary roentgenographic study was conducted to evaluate the cervical spine motion of five male subjects wearing the TMBJ. The TMBJ, in addition to providing comparable cervical spine stability, offers several advantages over current methods of stabilization.