Scoliosis treatment options are diverse, but some of the most effective are those that help to inhibit further curvature of the spine.
Scoliosis Bracing and Curve Progression
Apart from surgery, elastic straps, or scoliosis braces, are used to inhibit curve progression. Straps for scoliosis treatment fall into two broad categories; hard braces and soft braces. Doctors recommended the use of soft scoliosis braces before hard braces surfaced. Use of soft braces was not widespread when physicians adopted hard braces. Patients treated with hard braces displayed better quality of life than who underwent soft brace treatment. As a result, soft scoliosis brace therapy declined significantly in the years that followed.
Study in scoliosis treatment has been ongoing for a long time. Medical researchers came up with different structures that could be used to prevent curve progression. Fischer was the first researcher to describe how soft scoliosis braces could be used in 1876. Hard braces were later to be proposed in 1902 with variations coming up in the years that followed. Variations of hard braces include the Wullstein brace, Milwaukee braces, Chêneau braces and the Boston brace. Treatment with the different brace types has varying effects on patients, but the Boston braces provide the best results.
Scoliosis Treatment: A Matter of Time
Boston braces are molded from plastic and meant to be worn under the arms. On the other hand, Milwaukee braces are variations of the Boston braces that cover the neck area. Milwaukee braces are mostly prescribed for patients with thoracic spine curves. A different brace invention was the Charleston brace that is molded onto the child when they are bent. The brace exerts force against the curve thus combating curve development. Patients wear it at night while they are asleep.
Studies on soft scoliosis braces remained dormant until the 1980s when a greater focus on this therapy resurfaced. Physicians in France suggested soft braces that had three points of pressure application in the early 1990s. Suggestions included the Olympe and St. Etienne braces, but improvements on these followed soon after. Soft braces were found to produce best results in patients below 15 years of age. There were higher risks of curve progression in patients who had signs of maturation.
So remember, while scoliosis does not have a cure, it does have several treatments. One of the most promising is scoliosis bracing.
Pivonka Family Chiropractic
1355 S Higley Rd #102
Gilbert, AZ 85296
(480) 892-0022
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