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" 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:

  1. Neuromuscular dysfunction
  2. Growth Asymmetry
  3. Postural disorganization
  4. 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