In this prospectively controlled randomized study 30 patients who had undergone posterior cervical spine surgery were randomized into two groups who either wore or did not wear a clavicle brace to retract the shoulders. Patients in the brace group began wearing the brace on postoperative day 4, and continuously wore it throughout the 30-day study period. Outcome was measured as daily levels of self-reported pain and number of pain pills taken during the 30-day postoperative period. .