How Does ScoliBrace Work?
By Dr. Tim Fargo, Chiropractor
I have often been asked how ScoliBrace works, and also how it differs from other brace technologies. To begin with, I should explain what ScoliBrace is. ScoliBrace is a rigid plastic brace that is designed to put corrective forces into scoliosis. Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine, in excess of 10,° which also has rotation associated with it. Scoliosis is especially prevalent in adolescent girls and can progress quite rapidly during puberty. There are various treatments that are indicated for scoliosis, and they range from specific exercises to surgery. Bracing lies somewhere in the middle and is essential when curves exceed a certain magnitude. The concern is that the type of scoliosis that most adolescents have can be rapidly progressive. I should also add that, in general, scoliosis is a progressive condition, which means that it tends to get worse over time, even in adults. In addition to adolescents, adults, even older adults, often benefit from bracing to prevent continual progression of scoliosis, relieve pain, and improve posture.
While most braces for scoliosis are designed to “hold the curve in place”, doing so will never result in any correction. The most prevalent brace technology which is known as “TLSO” or “Boston” bracing is explicitly designed to simply hold the curve in place. The clinicians and scientists who created ScoliBrace were not satisfied with simply holding curves in place. Rather, they sought to create a product which would create a three-dimensional mathematical solution to spinal curvatures. They recognized that scoliosis has a significant rotational component, and they build that rotational component into each brace, in addition to the sideways pressure that is typical for bracing.
Each brace is custom-designed using a combination of postural photographs, x-ray images, and 3D laser scans of the patient. All the data derived from these tools is then fed into a computer model which then creates a solution to the scoliosis. A computer then sculpts a torso of the patient with the correction incorporated into the model, and then the brace is built on that framework. Unlike traditional bracing, ScoliBrace is designed to put super-corrective forces into the curvatures. Because bone and connective tissue is capable of responding to forces being applied to it, a property known as “plasticity”, over time the shape of the spine can change, just like an orthodontist might straighten a patient’s teeth. With this brace product the patient stands a real chance of not only stabilizing but also improving the curvature.
As an illustration you will see pictured below a real patient. This patient was 13 years old when she began treatment in our office. She has now worn the brace for three years and is in the process of transitioning out of the brace. What you will see on the left is her initial x-ray. In the middle is how she looks in the brace. You will notice how the brace is very unsymmetrical and is putting pressure into her curvature. Please note that while you are viewing her from the back, the x-rays are viewing her from the front. On the right, you will see how she looks at her most recent evaluation. This case is an excellent example of how ScoliBrace changes patient outcomes.
Although, as you can see, there is still a small curve in the right side of her low back. What you will also notice is that the curve has significantly improved. Any other brace that this patient would have received would have simply held that curve in place, at best. Without bracing, the probability that her curve would have progressively worsened was high. This is just one of the dozens of cases that illustrate the power that ScoliBrace has to reduce, and sometimes correct, spinal curvatures. If you, or a member of your family or friends is suffering with scoliosis, then give the doctors at Chiropractic Health and Wellness a call, and we can let you know whether you might be a candidate for ScoliBrace and schedule an appointment for consultation.
