What makes the SpineCor brace and the ScoliBrace different, what makes them so effective? The difference lies is in the concept of the braces. Standard Rigid TLSO braces work by forcing the spine left and right, with the 3-point pressure principle. Standard Rigid TLSO braces, however, are much like a cast in the fact that their use promotes muscular atrophy, which can destabilize the spine.
The SpineCor brace, a semi-soft dynamic brace, and the ScoliBrace, a rigid brace, do not physically force the patient’s spine into position, but rather assists the patient into maintaining what is called the Corrective Movement or Mirror Image posture. The Corrective Movement Principle is based upon the concept that each type of scoliosis has a Mirror Image postural movement that will unwind the patient’s scoliosis and straighten the spine. The elastic bands that comprise the SpineCor brace are then applied in certain configurations to keep the patient in their corrective movement. However, the SpineCor brace has its limits where its effectiveness drops off, this is where the ScoliBrace comes into play. The ScoliBrace, while being a hard brace, works on the exact same principle as the SpineCor brace, however, the ScoliBrace does not allow the patients spine to relax from the corrective movement at all. Hence it works best on curves above 40 degrees where stabilization is critical.
The Corrective Movement Principle allows reprograming of the bodies muscular and neurological systems and it will also apply corrective force to the vertebra of the spine and thus equalize the stresses on the effected growth plates, in turn helping to minimize the deformation and stabilizing the scoliosis much more effectively than traditional TLSO braces.
The researchers responsible for the SpineCor brace have also published a study on the Corrective Movement Principle, which supports the concept and shows it to be very effective in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. With 75% of patients in this study stabilizing their scoliosis and then 93% of those patients maintaining those results after 2 years. The sample size in this article is 349 patients, so the outcomes are definitive.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2008 May;3(3):112-9. A new concept for the non-invasive treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: the Corrective Movement principle integrated in the SpineCor System. Coillard C, Circo A, Rivard CH
Below are some examples of what the Corrective Movement Principle can do to a scoliosis curve.
The first example is a 50-degree left lumbar scoliosis. The corrective movement for this scoliosis is seen in picture #2. As you can see the Corrective Movement posture reduces this large scoliosis 20 degrees. So when this patient puts their brace on, they put themselves into the Corrective Movement posture and then they apply their brace in the band combination that keeps them in that posture. So in the brace they are constantly being maintained in a 30-degree scoliosis versus a 50-degree scoliosis.
The second example shows a 28-degree left thoracolumbar scoliosis in picture #1. Picture #2 shows the patient in their corrective movement position. As you can see the spine is virtually straight. So when this patient applies their brace their spine is virtually straight. This is something that I have not seen in patients wearing a hard brace. This is what makes the SpineCor brace and ScoliBrace unique and highly effective.
