Scoliosis Braces:
Are They Outdated & Ineffective
FACTUALLY ACCURATE & VERIFIED BY
Dr. Clayton J. Stitzel
LAST UPDATED ON
November 5, 2021
Table of Contents
Full-time scoliosis braces often cause more problems than they solve. Pain that didn’t exist before, breathing problems, weakened muscles, and even psychological scarring. Most shockingly, back braces for scoliosis aren’t proven to prevent scoliosis surgery, either.
Full-time scoliosis bracing is an outdated treatment that needs to be limited to a very narrow range of scoliosis cases:
- Very early stage growth (Risser sign 0-2)
- Curves greater than 25 degrees, but less than 40 degrees on x-ray
Scoliosis brace treatment has existed for more than 450 years. Yet its success is still controversial. Much of the research conducted on back braces for scoliosis reveals mixed and contradictory results. Also, studies are demonstrating the negative physical, emotional, and psychological effects scoliosis bracing has on children and teens. It has become clear that a better way for treating scoliosis, effective treatment, needs to be developed based on the latest science and tec
ScoliSMART Activity Suit™
New research shows that excercise and nutrition positively impact the scoliosis condition. Once specific genetic patterns are found, appropriate nutrient therapies can halt curve progression in hopes of preventing spinal fusion. So… why does just a scoliosis brace continue to be the only recommended treatment for a spinal curvature?
Bracing is recommended for children in early-stage growth with a scoliotic curve between 25 and 40 degrees. The “hope” is that bracing will delay or halt curve progression, since the condition is progressive. One major problem with braces, including hard plastic braces, metal braces, and even softer dynamic braces, is they cause muscles to weaken, leading to discomfort. When you don’t use your muscles, they atrophy. For example, when your arm is in a cast, the muscles inside the cast become small and weak. This is what happens when your child wears a brace for the recommended 18-23 hours a day.
It also explains why the curve worsens once the brace treatment is taken off. In a brace treatment, your child’s spine becomes stiff. Joints don’t get necessary movement and they often develop more degenerative issues. Bracing also puts stress on the ribs and causes a rib hump. Doctors almost always recommend removing the brace treatment when they see this negative change using 3D x-rays, yet the damage may have already occurred.
Scoliosis bracing constricts breathing and may increase the rib hump!
Another serious issue with bracing is that without intermittent pressure. The theory behind bracing is that it will open the inside of the curve (the concavity) by removing pressure, and encourage growth on the concave side of the curve (the convexity). But you need intermittent pressure on bones to stimulate growth, and the concavity needs to grow. You cannot “guide” bone growth by squeezing the ribs and bending them while the wearer sleeps or sits.
Even if bracing was successful, studies suggest that children only wear them 10 percent of the recommended time. They say bracing hurts, is embarrassing and handicaps their lives. Full-day bracing doesn’t prevent surgery, so they aren’t inclined to follow the protocol.
Braces like the most common thoracolumbar-sacral-orthosis (TLSO) brace squeeze and mold to the chest wall and abdomen. A Norwegian study of the TLSO found it decreases breathing capacity. Breathing impacts thoracic, muscle and fat composition, and cognitive performance. One study showed that children who wore a hard brace had a 30% decrease in vital capacity (VC). Also, a 45% decrease in expiratory reserve volume (the air you can push out after a normal exhale). These decreases in pulmonary function are identical to those found in long-term smokers! Respiratory distress causes headaches, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nightmares, and cognitive dysfunction (memory, perception, and problem-solving). The risks associated with scoliosis braces are demonstrable. More modern options for treating your child’s scoliosis condition are available. Scoliosis- specific nutrient therapies, combined with scoliosis-specific core strengthening exercises can halt curve progression and reduce spine curves.
Scoliosis exercises that work better than bracing.
Doctors and chiropractors still prescribe scoliosis braces because they continue to view the condition as only a spine problem. Rather than a resulting from a genetic predisposition. The condition is the result of an incorrect “posture memory” development during growth spurt. In children, the brain doesn’t recognize that the spine is out of alignment. Thus it doesn’t trigger a response to fix the curvature. The natural alarm bells don’t sound in the posture memory, so the brain doesn’t realize there is a problem to fix.
- Scoliosis exercise treatment needs to create a new message that helps the brain recognize something is going wrong!
- The brain will then “reflexively respond” to correct spinal alignment on its own.
- Exercises need to stimulate this reflexive reaction.
- Only specialized scoliosis exercises can do this.
Online consultation scheduling is available!
Schedule your no-cost, no-obligation phone or Zoom consultation online with a ScoliSMART physician. Visit the ScoliSMART BootCamp page and click the “Schedule Online” button at the top of the page. Then select the best date and time to connect with a physician. Schedule your consultation right here!
Alternatives to scoliosis bracing
At ScoliSMART Clinics, we teach your child exercise treatment options that creates new muscle memory to hold the spine straighter. Our Early Stage Intervention and ScoliSMART BootCamp programs halt scoliosis progression, reduce curvature, pain relief, and improve your child’s breathing. We also decrease each child’s curve rigidity to help reduce scoliosis curvatures even more!
Every case is unique. Larger curves need more extensive treatment, especially in children whose spines are still growing. Curves that measure over 30 degrees have a 68 percent chance of progressing in adulthood, as well as affecting the pelvis and rib cage. Our innovative equipment and “reflexive response” training helps reduce spinal twisting. This is when the spine twists from the top to the bottom, kinking in the middle like a rubber band. Patients need to stop this coil down effect to improve the chances of stabilizing or reducing the curvature.
The ScoliSMART Activity Suit alternative to scoliosis bracing (for kids and adults!)
The ScoliSMART activity suit and exercises work with the natural torque pattern of the body to create new posture memory and core muscle strength. The new posture memory helps the spine unwind, stabilizes asymmetrical muscles, and reduces curvature without pressure or pain. The ScoliSMART Activity Suit in combination with the Scoliosis “Boot Camp” program works well for patients under the age of 18. It can even be used for kids with mild scoliosis and allows them to resume their normal activities, without limiting physical activity. It is also available to adult patients (even post fusion) looking for back support for scoliosis to help relieve back pain. The ScoliSMART activity suit and exercises are also effective alternative for patients who require a cervical-thoracic-lumbar-sacral orthosis (CTLSO) for scoliosis treatment.
Opportunities for combined treatment
Many children are at a high risk for curve progression based upon:
- their age,
- skeletal maturity,
- and curve measurement at diagnosis.
In some cases, it may be beneficial to combine ScoliSMART treatment with conventional nighttime bracing. A nighttime brace, such as a Providence or Charleston brace, does not cover the torso like a typical TLSO brace. This allows for better breathing and comfort. It also takes advantage of the guided growth principle known as the Hueter-Volkmann principle. This brace is only used during sleep. So there is less concern for torso muscle atrophy due to the fact that the child is not using it while upright during the day, fighting gravity.
Online consultation scheduling is available!
Schedule your no-cost, no-obligation phone or Zoom consultation online with a ScoliSMART physician. Visit the ScoliSMART BootCamp page and click the “Schedule Online” button at the top of the page. Then select the best date and time to connect with a physician. Schedule your consultation right here!
Most Common Questions Parents and Patients Have About Scoliosis Bracing
What are the progression factors?
Progression factors attempt to predict how progressive a child’s curve might be. Determining how aggressive treatment should be at that time. These progression factors include your child’s age, stage of growth, genetic risk factors, and current curve size. This helps ScoliSMART doctors develop the most appropriate treatment plan for your child. Thus minimizing unnecessary treatment and avoiding under-treatment.
What are the different types of braces for scoliosis?
There are many different types of back braces for scoliosis. Some patients and parents would say there are “too many” to choose from. Each has different attributes that may seem more beneficial or desirable in some way. One source of confusion for many is the tradition of naming the brace after the city where it came from. This is how we get brace names like “Boston Brace,” “Wilmington Brace,” “Milwaukee Brace” and “Charleston Bending Brace.” Only recently have newer scoliosis back braces from privately owned orthotists taken on more “marketing style” names like “SpineCor Brace” (short for Spine Corporation) and “ScoliBrace”( a new brace). These back braces claim to work better, because of their custom-fit process.
What is the best brace for scoliosis?
Scientific research has determined there is no “best back brace for scoliosis.” Using a spinal bracing should only be part of a patient’s total scoliosis treatment strategy and effort. It should be only for scoliosis in children who are at high risk for a moderate curve getting worse. (very early stage growth (Risser sign 0-2) with curves greater than 25 degrees). The Boston Brace and Wilmington Brace are two of the most recommended braces for scoliosis. But that doesn’t necessarily make them “the best.” Regardless of which brace is recommended, it must achieve:
- at least a 50% in-brace improvement without making the spinal rotation worse,
- and the patient will need to wear the brace for the prescribed amount of time.
Can braces correct scoliosis?
No, the sole purpose of a brace is to limit curve severity and prevent spinal fusion surgery. Bracing back support devices like the Boston Brace and Wilmington Brace are “intended” to work under the “theory” of guided growth. When a patient begins to develop a spine curve, their spine becomes unevenly loaded, putting a little bit more pressure on the inside of the curve vs. the outside of the curve. This unequal pressure may cause the vertebrae to grow in a slight wedge shape, contributing to some further curve progression. The published research data on wearing a brace, hours per day, and combination with physical therapy is very inconsistent and unclear.
How long do you have to wear a brace for scoliosis?
Assuming the brace achieves at least a 50% in-brace correction without making the spinal rotation worse. And the child is still in early stage growth with a curve of 25 to 40 degrees. Most orthopedic doctors recommend at least 18 hours of daily wear to help, and many doctors insist on 20 hours of wear to help it from getting worse. The number of hours needed to help seems to be an unanswered question and scientifically unclear.
Most doctors recommend patients wear a brace from early stage growth (age 9-12) until skeletal maturity (age 15-16 in females).
Find a better way to treat mild scoliosis:
Find a better way to treat moderate and severe scoliosis:
Proactive Scoliosis Treatment
Children with mild or moderate curves benefit most from ScoliSMART exercises. This is because their bones are not yet deformed by months or years of compensating for abnormal twisting and bending of the spine. We use proactive treatment solutions such as genetic testing, nutrient therapies, and the ScoliSMART Activity Suit. Remember, all kids who have large spinal curves started out with small curves first! If a brace was suggested for your child, you deserve a second opinion. Our programs can replace bracing and surgery, or be combined with standard nighttime bracing treatment — and allow your kid to still be a kid.
Don’t know where to start? Take our FREE “ScoliQuiz.” (No x-ray required)
ScoliSMART Clinics is committed to treating the WHOLE scoliosis condition, not only the curve. Genetic & clinical testing with targeted nutrient therapies, expert in-office treatment programs, and the world’s only ScoliSMART Activity Suit provides patients of all ages with the most comprehensive, most effective, and least invasive treatment options available worldwide.
Find a better way to treat mild scoliosis:
Find a better way to treat moderate and severe scoliosis:
