The concept of bracing for scoliosis is certainly not a new one. Attempts to create braces for scoliosis go back as far as 450 BC by tying sticks to the backs of people with crooked backs. The first metal brace was created in 1575 by Ambrose Pierre in France. Obviously back brace technology, design, and application has vast improved since then. Per tradition, scoliosis braces are named based on the city in which they were developed. The most common brace used in the United States is the Boston brace, although many other full time and nighttime back braces, like the Providence and Charleston braces are beginning to be used with more frequency. Bracing for scoliosis is typically recommended for children with a moderate (25- 40 degrees) scoliosis. Scoliosis braces should be worn for at least 16-23 hours per day and night. Back braces are often very uncomfortable and cause significant discomfort or pain. They can occasionally cause depression and anxiety in adolescents and young adults.

Why Bracing for scoliosis is a common treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis?

Scoliosis is most known for creating spinal misalignment during periods of rapid adolescent (mostly female) growth spurts. The scoliosis spine bends and twists in a spiral direction because of the growth velocity, followed by long periods of dormancy between growth spurts. The purpose of bracing for idiopathic scoliosis is not to correct the spine misalignment, but rather "guide the growth" in a straighter direction. In other words, back braces are not intended to improve spinal curvatures, only help them progress at a slower rate during growth.

How scoliosis back braces are intended to help scoliosis

The concept of "guided growth" for treating scoliosis is akin to the concept of staking a tree down to the ground in order to help the trunk growth straighter. The development of a spine curve cause uneven loading on the spinal bones (vertebra). This uneven pressure causes the bones to growth at different rates, slower on the inside of the curve, and faster on the outside of the curve. This is why a scoliosis brace MUST be applied in very early stage growth and achieve at least 50% in brace curve reduction in order to have ANY effect on slowing scoliosis curve progression.

Different Back braces for scoliosis

Milwaukee Back Brace:

The Milwaukee brace is one of the most iconic braces for scoliosis due to it's distinct design using a collar to traction the spine. It has largely been discontinued, despite relatively successful treatment results data, because of its bulky design and low patient compliance.

Boston Back Brace:

The Original Boston Brace is a system for non-operative treatment of scoliosis and kyphosis, and it is one of the most researched and utilized scoliosis brace in the world. The Lumbar, Thoracic, and Thoraco/Lumbar models have all been clinically shown to halt curve development. The standard brace comes with a posterior aperture but may be available in an anterior aperture as well. The Boston Brace is custom fitted to each patient and constructed from a scan/cast and measurements.

Providence Back Brace:

All curve forms: lumbar, thoracic, double major, and thoracolumbar have been treated successfully by the Providence Nocturnal Scoliosis® System. For the treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), the Providence Nocturnal Scoliosis® Orthosis is an effective nighttime brace. Neurally compromised patients, idiopathic teenagers, and juvenile scoliosis sufferers, as well as obese people, may benefit from this orthosis. During bedtime, the patient is supine while wearing the Providence® brace. To confirm and provide a favorable result, current x-rays are required. The curves can be treated more aggressively and patient compliance can be achieved thanks to the orthosis's nocturnal usage. If a patient is unable to be measured using the Providence board or if a board is not accessible, a cast or scan of the patient is necessary.

Charleston Bending Brace (CBB):

When young people discover they have scoliosis and are worried about how it will impact their lives, they may experience anxiety. They often find solace in discovering that they aren't alone. Idiopathic adolescent scoliosis has been identified in over 2.5 million young people in the United States. Some of the most frequently asked questions from patients, their parents, and friends are addressed here with straightforward answers. We also discuss how the Charleston Bending Brace, which is only effective during nighttime, may help people deal with a challenging situation. We aim to make the treatment process much more manageable by collaborating with the orthotist, doctor, and CBB team.

Wilmington Back Brace:

In 1969, Alfred I. Wilmington created the Wilmington Brace. When a patient refused to wear her doctor-prescribed scoliosis brace, DuPont Institute was born. The Wilmington Brace was created when the patient accepted an inconspicuous and quickly removable brace. Because of its lack of gaps or open spaces, this brace is called a full contact TLSO. It goes on the body like a tight jacket.

Rigo Cheneau Back Brace:

Dr. Rigo Cheneau, a brace researcher from France, invented the Rigo Cheneau Brace. Jacques Cheneau is a character in the novel. Dr. was a popular song of the 1970s. Cheneau adopted Katharina Schroth and Christa Lehnert-Schroth's breathing classifications for scoliosis physical therapy treatment after working closely with them in Germany. To enable him to wear a brace, he incorporated breathing and expansion areas in his brace designs.

Spine Cor Brace:

The Spinecor brace employs a rotating 3D Corrective Movement, as opposed to a rigid brace, that has been proven to help reduce scoliosis curvatures in youngsters and adults. The Spinecor brace employs gentle forces to shift posture and movement patterns over time, using a dynamic system of elastic bands. During exercise and at work, it can easily be worn under clothes.

ScoliBrace:

Using a particular design algorithm and a patient-centered approach to brace therapy, each ScoliBrace is custom created and produced for the patient, utilizing the latest in 3D scanning technology and CAD CAM. As a result, patients who have received a ScoliBrace are ensured to get the finest possible 3D custom-made scoliosis brace for their specific curve.

ScoliSMART Activity Suit (SAS):

Unlike the other braces on this list, the SAS is not a brace. It is the world's first personal rehab system for scoliosis. The ScoliSMART Activity Suit retains the spine, spinal muscles, and brain to learn how to "untwist" the spinal curvature using the patient's natural walking motion. Unlike a brace, the SAS improves core strength, re-coordinates muscle firing patterns, and creates a new posture memory with as little as 2 hours of use per day. Recommended for both adolescent and adults with idiopathic or degenerative scoliosis and can also be used by patients suffering from post scoliosis fusion surgery pain.

Can braces correct scoliosis?

A brace's sole purpose is to maintain the curve from getting worse. The "theory" of guided growth states that scoliosis bracing back support devices like the Boston Brace and Wilmington Brace should operate. The spine of a patient becomes unevenly loaded as they begin to develop a spine curve, resulting in slightly more pressure on the inside of the curve. Where the curve begins and ends. The vertebrae may grow in a slight wedge shape as a result of this uneven pressure, which may contribute to more curve progression. The available research on brace usage, hours per day, and the use of physical therapy is highly contradictory and uncertain.