People who now have or have ever had a scoliosis brace

Question

How long did you have to wear your brace? I got mine toward the end of 7th grade and I have had it for about 3 or 4 months. My doctors said I was gonna be 5'8" and I am 5'6" and I am growing pretty rapidly, so I don't know if I am gonna get it off soon. But I just wanted to know how long other people had to wear theirs just so I could get a general idea of the length of time. Also what kind of brace did you have and how bad was your curve? It's okay if you can't answer some of the questions I am just curious.

Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

I was diagnosed at age 15 during a check at school.  My curve was 31 degrees was referred to an orthopedist and was prescribed a Boston Brace.  I wore the brace continuously for 3 years.  I had a hard time adjusting to life with the brace.  Being born with one arm was bad enough, now I had to through life with a horrible back brace also.  I survived and my curve improved and no surgery was required.   As much as I didn't like wearing the brace and admittedly put my parents through a mini h**l I made it and have not had any problems since.  You may not like the brace but definately wear it for however long the doctor says to wear it.

Answer 2

I wore mine from the start of 8th grade until the first quarter of my freshman year of college (yes, my school was on the quarter system at the time).  That was a bit over 5 years.  Your time being braced will most likely be different.  You'll need to wear it until you quit growing or if your curve has increased past 40 degrees, give or take.  (This means that you've moved, or will soon move, into the range where surgery is recommended.)

I had a Milwaukee brace and my curve ended up around 45 degrees or so.  Curves greater than 30 degrees tend to increase even after growth has stopped, and this was certainly true for me.  My curve increased to 60 degrees which is when I had my fusion.

Answer 3

Never had a brace but it's good that you got one. I was about 13 when my doctor noticed that I had it. It was only 16 degrees curved and they never put a brace on me. Now I'm 24 yrs old and it 29 degrees curved and now the only thing they can do is surgery. So just keep the brace on as long as your doctor says. Trust me you do not want to end up like me, it's very painful

Answer 4

For me...bracing, surgery, and bracing some more was about 3 yrs.

In 1984, I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 12 during one of those junior high screenings (had 40-something curve). I was very scared at first, but got in with a good group of doctors at Shriner's Hospital and they put me so at ease. I wore a Wilmington brace from under my arms to just over my hips for 10 mo.  

I then had surgery shortly before I turned 14 (1985). They prefer that you have had your period for two years before they do it to let you grow as much as you can, but my curve was getting too severe. My top curve was fused using stainless steel Harrington rods and bone chips from my hip.

I was brace free for about 6 mo. but had to go back into a Boston brace from under my arms to just over my hips, but the area over the chest is cut out, for 10 mo. while my bottom curve stabilized.

Some clinical info for you...

The more growth that you have remaining increases the chances of scoliosis getting worse.

Your doctor measures your height and weight for comparison with future visits and monitors other clues to the amount of growth remaining such as the presence of b*****s or pubic hair and whether menstrual periods have begun in girls. On average most girls are done growing about 2 years after their period starts. However, if your curve continues to worsen even with bracing, they will have to decide if surgery would be beneficial.

Good luck! Remember the benefits of why you are doing this.