Soft scoliosis braces or hard scoliosis braces? Which is best?
Hard Scoliosis Braces
As we covered previously, hard braces are made of thermoplastic, which means that they are rigid and inflexible. Wearing a hard brace limits the spine’s movements. This is because while hard scoliosis braces treat the body like a statue and hold it in place like a body cast, soft braces recognize that the human body is dynamic and needs to move freely.
Soft braces are specifically designed to help the body develop new patterns of movement which in turn helps reduce the curve caused by scoliosis. Both children and adults can realize effective results from using dynamic braces.
Instead of restricting the patient’s ability to move their torsos, soft scoliosis bracing encourages a type of corrective body movement known as tension orthosis. Thanks to elastic resistance, the weakened muscles located in the spine region are aided to regain strength and in turn power the body’s corrective movements on the affected spine. These movements in the long run, turn into habits and become natural. This helps the spinal curve to gradually get smaller.
Expectations From Scoliosis Brace Treatment
The main objective of a brace treatment is to prevent the curve from worsening rather than correct the curvature. While it may straighten initially, the spine correction gets lost once the patient stops wearing the brace and the curve may revert to its original form.
Types of soft braces
* The SpineCor Scoliosis Brace – The most popular dynamic brace, the SpineCore brace, is based on a theory that scoliosis is caused by these three factors: unsynchronized spinal growth, muscular dysfunction and postural disorganization. In 1998, pediatric surgeons from Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital hypothesized that this dynamic braces could prevent or even improve spinal abnormalities by using controlled movements to influence these factors. SpineCor braces are largely able to replicate the results of their hard counterparts without compromising the quality of life.
* Charleston bending brace – These are nighttime braces designed to apply a stronger corrective force, hence reducing the wear schedule to just 10 hours – approximately the length of a night’s sleep. The Charleston bending brace was released in 1979, and it fixes the patient in an over-corrected position to stretch the spine further. It was designed for night use to avoid the social anxiety and negative self-image issues commonly associated with scoliosis bracing, especially among adolescent girls. The only downside is that the overstretching can result in discomfort when the patient is trying to sleep.
Whichever option you prefer, you also want the input of your scoliosis chiropractor in Arizona.
Pivonka Family Chiropractic
1355 S Higley Rd #102
Gilbert, AZ 85296
(480) 892-0022
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