" Cosmetic
aspects of scoliosis and the braces used to treat it may greatly affect a
child or teen."
Teenagers may find
wearing a brace devastating to their self-image. Most braces
should be worn for 20 hours a day or more, usually for several
years. Follow-up studies across the United States have found
that less than 50% of teens wore their braces as
prescribed.
Newer braces like
the SpineCor
are designed to improve the chance that a child will wear it.
New braces can often be covered by clothes.
Scoliosis is the
lateral curvature of the spine.
It is a progressive
disease. Little evidence has been found on the effectiveness
of exercises on scoliosis, though there are reports that show
some improvement in the degree of curvature. What so far has
not been determined is whether the improvement is permanent in
nature. The lumbar scoliosis brace is a device to support the
spine and check further deterioration of the condition.
People wearing a lumbar scoliosis
brace are often suggested exercise to correct scoliosis.
These exercises are aimed at helping the wearer adapt to the
brace, to allow for correction of the spinal deformity, and to
improve trunk muscular tone during the period braces are worn.
Braces tend to lead the muscles into losing muscle tone. The
physical therapist suggests other exercises for trunk and
pelvic correction, which are required to be performed
everyday.
Types of Lumbar
Scoliosis Brace
Here are some of
the common types of lumbar scoliosis braces used to prevent
scoliosis from degenerating.
SpineCor
Brace:
The
SpineCor
brace is a revolutionary new concept in the treatment of
scoliosis. Past braces utilized rigid structures to
physically apply pressure to the spine and force it back into
a more normal position. The SpineCor brace is completely
different in the fact that it is not rigid and does not force
the spine to move.
The
SpineCor brace works it targets the four key progression
factors of idiopathic scoliosis:
- Neuromuscular
dysfunction
- Growth Asymmetry
- Postural
disorganization
- Spinal
deformation
Where the old style
rigid braces only target spinal deformation. Hence, when
rigid braces are removed, there is a high likelihood that the
spine will regress back to its original state. With the
SpineCor brace the results are maintained out of the brace in
97% of patients. This far exceeds rigid
braces.
The SpineCor
concept is unique in the fact that the results are achieved
not so much by the brace but by the interaction of the brace
with the patients Corrective Movement. Researchers at
the St. Justine Children, hospital in Montreal Canada have
developed Corrective Movements for all types of idiopathic
scoliosis to "pen up" or correct the curves. The
patient is then braced in that corrective movement and held
there 20 hours per day by the elastic bands that make up the
brace. The real action in the brace is in the elastic
bands. As the patient goes through the movements of the
day, they stretch the elastic bands and the bands then resist
and pull them back into the corrective movement. This
stimulates the growth centers in the deformed vertebra and it
stimulates the neuromuscular system and over time the gentle
resistance of the brace and the reprogramming of the bodies
neuromuscular pattern results in a relatively permanent
stabilization or correction of the scoliosis in 89% of
patients. These are phenomenal results!
So instead of the patient walking around like a
robot in a rigid brace that does not allow much
movement. They can do virtually any physical activity
they want, except swimming, in the brace. In fact
exercise and activity are absolutely essential for the brace to
work. So the patient, lifestyle is hardly affected with
the SpineCor brace. use.
Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis (TLSO) brace:
The TLSO brace
comes in many styles, but the most commonly used TLSO brace is
the Boston brace. The Boston brace is also known as the
underarm brace. Made from molded plastic, the Boston brace is
custom made to fit the patient’s body. It is usually worn
under clothing and is not easy to detect whether the patient
is wearing one. This lumbar scoliosis brace applies
three-point pressure to the curvature to prevent it from
degenerating further.
Charleston Bending
Brace:
This lumbar
scoliosis brace is also known as the nighttime brace, since it
is used only while sleeping. The molding of the brace is done
when the patient is bent to the side. It helps in applying
more pressure against the curve of the patient to correct the
curvature.
Cervico-Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis
brace:
This lumbar
scoliosis brace is popularly known as the Milwaukee brace, and
is quite alike the TLSO brace. Additionally, it has a neck
ring attached to the brace. It is worn all the time, though it
can be removed for any sporting activity.
Scoliosis Treatment
Options
Once it’s determined that
a child has scoliosis, several things are taken into
consideration to determine the best treatment
option:
- Spinal maturity – the
amount of growth left in the child’s spine
- Degree and extent of
the curve – the severity of the curve and how it affects the
child’s
daily life
- Location of the curve
– is it a thoracic (upper spine), thoracolumbar (middle
spine) or lumbar (lower spine) curve? Some are more likely
to progress than others.
- Potential for
progression – if the curve is large before the child’s
adolescent growth spurt, it’s more likely to
progress.
For more on
Scoliosis and Non-surgical Treatment go to http://www.scoliosisspecialists.com |