The three most commonly used types of braces are, the Boston Brace (Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis "TLSO"), the Charleston Bending Brace, and the Milwaukee Brace.
The Milwaukee Brace (pictured below), is commonly used for high thoracic (mid-back) curves. It extends from the neck to the pelvis and consists of a specially contoured plastic pelvic girdle and a neck ring connected by metal bars in the front and the back of the brace. The metal bars help extend the length of the torso and the neck ring keeps the head centered over the pelvis. Pressure pads, strategically placed according to the patient's curve pattern, are attached to the metal bars with straps.
The Milwaukee Brace was the first modern brace designed for the treatment of scoliosis. Developed by Drs. Walter Blount and Albert Schmidt of the Medical College of Wisconsin and Milwaukee's Children's Hospital in 1945, its design has been tweaked through the years until reaching its current design around 1975. Today, the brace is used less frequently now that more form-fitting plastic braces have been developed; however, it's still prescribed for some types of curves that are located very high in the spine.
There are a variety of TLSO braces, but the one most commonly used to treat scoliosis is the "Boston Brace."(pictured below) TLSO braces are often called "low-profile" or "underarm" braces. They are not as large or bulky as the Milwaukee Brace (see below), and their plastic components are custom-molded to fit the patient's body.
The Boston Brace extends from below the breast to the beginning of the pelvic area in the front and from below the shoulder blades to the tail bone in the back. This type of brace works by applying three-point pressure to the curve to prevent its progression. It forces the lumbar area to flex, which pushes in the abdomen and flattens the posterior lumbar curve. Strategically placed pads place pressure on the curve, and "relief voids" are located opposite the areas of pressure.
Developed in the early 1970s by Dr. John Hall and Mr. William Miller of The Boston Children's Hospital, the Boston Brace is typically prescribed for curves in the lumbar (low-back) or thoraco-lumbar (mid- to low-back) sections of the spine.
Another bracing option is the Charleston Bending Brace. (pictured below) Developed in 1979 by Dr. Frederick Reed and Ralph Hooper, the Charleston Bending Brace is worn only at night, which is why it's also known as a "part-time" brace
The Charleston Bending Brace is molded to conform to the patient's body while he or she is bent towards the convexity—or outward bulge—of the curve, the concept behind this design being that it "over-corrects" the curve during the eight hours the brace is worn.
The Charleston brace is typically recommended for spinal curves of 20-35 degrees, with the apex of the curve below the level of the shoulder blade.
I wore the Boston Brace, when I had a scoliosis brace. (Pictures in THIS post)
Sleeping in the brace was really uuncomfertable. My mom ended up going to buy me some foam wedges to sleep on, because it was hard to breath while laying flat. Those helped SOOOOO much.
When I went to school when I had my brace on, I tried to have a good attitude, and laugh about the jokes that some people made, and also tried to joke about it myself. It wasn't easy. I went home from school a lot and cried. After a while though, I learned it wasnt quite so bad. I learned that I could still have fun, and do things with my friends. I also learned how to make jokes about, or freak people out with my brace.
When kids were being rude to me and making fun of me, not just because of my brace, usually it wasn't because of that. I would tell them to punch me in the stomach. They would hesitate, but I would swear it wouldn't hurt, because I literally had rock hard abs. After a few minutes of talking people into punch me in the stomach, they would. After I would show them my brace, and they'd freak out, and I'd have to explain to them what it was.
Another time I was sitting in my Utah history class, and I leaned forward just a little, which made my brace pop out a little in the back. The boy sitting behind me started to FREAK out! I just started laughing really hard, (probably making people think I was actually crying.) I told him, and the rest of the class what it was, but my teacher still got mad and sent the kid to the office. After class I had to tell the teacher that it was okay, and that I wasn't offended, that I thought it was really funny. (Part of my not being offended could have been that I had the BIGGEST crush on this kid...haha)
Anyways, after a while I learned that the brace wasn't that bad. (And that I could get a lot of boys to talk to me...) Even though I only wore my brace for a few weeks, if you are having to wear one for a longer period of time, YOU CAN DO IT!!
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