The ISTC or Spinecor brace for adults

[Giddygirl]

I am a 50 year old woman. I have managed my scoliosis well with exercise and chiropractic care. However I am concerned about my curve worsening as I age and enter menopause and experience some bone loss and muscle tone. I am considering either the SpineCor Brace or the ISTC brace to not only prevent further curvature but to hopefully get some improvement in my curve. The treatment centers that use these braces both report some of their adult patients get some improvement. I understand that the ISTC brace is more rigid, so I am leaning toward the SpineCor brace so that I can continue my very active lifestyle. Are there any adults out there that have any experience with either of these braces???

[LindaRacine]

Hi...

You may get some improvement in your curve while in a brace, but if your curve is structural, it will not permanently reduce it. When the treatment is stopped, your curve will return to it's original degree. Here's why, it's believed, that will always happen:

http://www.scoliosislinks.com/AlternativesDontWork.htm

Regards,
Linda

[Giddygirl]

Linda,
Even if I can't get any permanent improvement...My feeling is that if the Spinecor brace will maintain my curve and support my back and posture and it's a brace that I can get use to wearing and continue my active lifestyle, I would rather wear it forever than to have my curve get worse and eventually need surgery or have to live with the consequences?? Do you have any experience with adults that are pleased with their decision to use the brace or adults that are not pleased????

[LindaRacine]

I've never heard of even a single adult who has made ANY brace work.

How big is your curve?

--Linda

[marmyte]

bracing can be very effective in children and adolescents but unfortunately, as linda said, will not gain permenant correction for skeletally mature adults. i don't even know if it's possible to gain correction using a brace, nevermind maintain it whilst out of the brace. one woman i know has just had a corset custom made by an orthotics department at a hospital in order to give her existing fusion more support (she has infantile scoliosis and has had several surgeries throughout her life) but she didn't get this in order to gain correction. i don't think bracing can be used as an effective treatment in adult cases, i'm sorry.

what degrees are your curvature at? it's only considered to be at risk of progressing if it is over 40 degrees (of course there are always anomalies) as you are skeletally mature

[javaboy]

Linda,
Even if I can't get any permanent improvement...My feeling is that if the Spinecor brace will maintain my curve and support my back and posture and it's a brace that I can get use to wearing and continue my active lifestyle, I would rather wear it forever than to have my curve get worse and eventually need surgery or have to live with the consequences?? Do you have any experience with adults that are pleased with their decision to use the brace or adults that are not pleased????

For me, bracing your spine would be exactly the same as always bracing your knee or ankle (in the way sports players do with knees, ankles and such that are at risk of injury).
If you roll your ankle or sprain your knee badly, and then use a brace for it every time afterwards, they don't heal as well - your knee or ankle becomes reliant on the brace for support, and the muscles are weaker than they originally were once they are healed.
I suspect that this would be no different for backs. As weak as your back muscles may be, continually relying on a brace will just give them no reason to become stronger, no matter how much PT you may do.
That's my theory, anyway. I've just seen too many people with ruined knees and ankles. Anyone who can disprove it, please do so! :D

Hope that helps!
Martin Hughes

[gerbo]

I disagree with previous posters, and I think you have nothing to loose by trying the spinecor (apart from money, they are not cheap).

You will not have to worry about muscleatrophy, as the spinecor should allow you to move naturally and use your muscles normally, maybe you can even use them more if you are in less pain.

If it only stops things getting worse, you already have gained some benefit from it.

Clearly nobody knows whether it could improve matters. But nobody will ever have researched this properly in a scientific study, so neither is there evidence that it is not possible to improve.

theoretically, anything what can get worse under the influence of forces exerted on it (in your case mainly gravity) should be able to improve with forces directed in the opposite direction. It must be possible for bone to refashion itself if the forces applied to it are strong enough (I suspect that this will not happen in practice in adults because the counterforce required might be to large for it to be bearable)

So, if you can afford it, go for it, and be a one-person trial to tell us in 5 years time, yes it made a lot of difference (or, no, it didn't make any difference ata all)

[Karen Ocker]

I suggest, before spending money, contact the adults who tried it on this forum.

The thing I question, as a medical professional, is how can this work for adults with stiff spines, wedge shaped vertebrae and solid rib humps when bracing does not always work in teens/juveniles who have flexible bodies. There's also the normal of loss of bone density in mature adults.

[AILEA]

My doc told me, that they are using the spinecor in adults in some countryes, and he has some adult patients trying it, but there are not results yet;

[LindaRacine]

Gerbo...

You can read lots of comments from adults who have tried the Copes brace, which presumably puts as much force on the curves as the Spinecor brace does:

http://forums.scoliosis-support.com/forumdisplay.php?f=12

For years, I've been trying to find even one adult patient who has had a brace reduce curves permanently. Not a single person has come forward. And, realistically, I'd be shocked if any brace even kept an adult's curves from worsening if that was going to be the natural history (not all adult curves increase).

In the July/August 1999 newsletter of the Scoliosis Association, the "Ask the Doctor" question had to do with a 55 year old female who wanted to know if bracing could prevent her curve from getting larger. Seven scoliosis specialists responded, and all agreed that a brace would not stop progression. Here's a typical response:

Brace wear only prevents curve progression with patients who are still growing. This is the reason that your doctor won't prescribe this, because it can't be expected to prevent your curve from progressing.

In fact, use of a brace in adults appears to be counter-productive. It results in trunk muscle weakness as you use your trunk muscles less and rely more on the brace.

If one who is skeletally mature wants to try a brace despite all of the experts saying it won't work, I say go for it. But, I sure as hell hope that insurance doesn't pay for it, because I don't want my premiums going any higher to pay for treatment that has not been proved to work, and has no scientific basis for expecting it to work.

--Linda

--Linda

[Giddygirl]

Thanks for all of the input. The doctor at the Spine center in NY that I talked to said he is seeing some improvement in some of his adult patients.
He provided me the names of two of his patients about my age that have been in the brace for 2 years. I've just recently been able to make contact with one of them. She said that she is extremely pleased with the brace. That it has improved her posture considerably and that at each 3 month check she has shown approx. a 2 degree improvement in her curve. I hope that all who replied will research the spinecor brace on the internet. My understanding is that the brace forces specific muscle groups to work harder, thus strenghtening and supporting the back. The brace has to be adjusted every 3 months to accomodate the changes in the spine and muscle groups. I would NEVER consider a stiff brace that kept my back from "working", which is why I am attracted to the Spinecor brace. I also agree (as has been stated) that if the brace simply keeps the curve from getting worse as my bones loose density and if my posture is better and I feel better I will be satisfied. Any small improvement in the curve would be icing on the cake.
I'm usually a big sceptic, but I feel good about this. Again, I would really love to hear from others who have worn or are currently wearing the spinecor brace. If I proceed it will be after the first of the year, but I would be happy to share my journal my experiences with the brace on this forum if anyone is interested.

[gerbo]

[QUOTE=LindaRacine] Seven scoliosis specialists responded, and all agreed that a brace would not stop progression. Here's a typical response:

Brace wear only prevents curve progression with patients who are still growing. This is the reason that your doctor won't prescribe this, because it can't be expected to prevent your curve from progressing.

In fact, use of a brace in adults appears to be counter-productive. It results in trunk muscle weakness as you use your trunk muscles less and rely more on the brace.

there was a time specialists would have told you that smoking was harmless, there was a time that specialists would have told you that thalomonide was a good sleeping medicine in pregnant ladies, there was a time that specialists would have told you that enlarged tonsils need to be removed at all times......................., the list can be as long as you want, they are not always necessarily right, you know

saying that, I am sure that the likelihood of improvement in adults is pretty minimal, if only as i couldn't see anybody having the stamina to wear a agressively correcting hardbrace for 23 hours a day, and indeed, the resulting muscle atrophy would be counterproductive

that seems to be the beauty of the spinecor, reasonable correction/ support whilst maintaining function. (didn't think it looks at all like the copes brace, whicjh to me looks more like a hard brace) and again, if it only would help things getting worse, whilst maintaining a good quality of life...., worth trying

[LindaRacine]

She said that she is extremely pleased with the brace. That it has improved her posture considerably and that at each 3 month check she has shown approx. a 2 degree improvement in her curve.

That works out to more than $2,000 per degree.

[sweetness514]

Wow..I never heard of this. If it is true than why not try it, just for a while to see if things get better and if not stop. I wonder how long one has to wear it and if it's only for people who are over at least 40 or 50 and want to avoid surgery and feel better. I would love to see a pic of the brace.

[LindaRacine]

[QUOTE]
they are not always necessarily right, you know


Yup, that includes the chiropractors who are prescribing this brace for adults.

[fina14314]

i am sorry to rain on your parade. But I have worn the SpineCor (as well as Copes) I am 22 and was very dilligent about my treatments and wearing the brace. Unfortunately, it didn't help my back in the slightest. Copes made my back worse. And the Spincor just didn't do anything. Spinecore is VERY uncomfortable. It looks like it would be comfortable but the girl that is advertizing the brace does not have scoliosis, therefor its not pulling her in ten different directions. Since wearing Spincore my shoulders are constantly popping in and out- it's just bad bad news. My curves are in teh 30's 40's and there was NO correction. I will live my life without surgery as long as i am able to function. IF there comes a time where it is just TOO crooked for me to carry on my daily functions. Then i will have surgery. In the meantime - stay agile and take care of your back. Your back WILL take care of you, Promise! Have faith. If you want to talk about the spincore feel free to email me and i will give you my number :)

[Celia Vogel]

Hi Fina14314,

Here is one of your posts on another thread:

"After wearing it for 5 months i showed no improvement, and i am very young still, 22. I am very active and was told that it would help. The only thing it helped was my doctor's bank account. It was painful becuase those straps go over your stomach and when you sit down it is very umcomfortable to eat. I would rather wear my hard brace. I don't think it is wise and i now look back and regret purchasing it. I have know come to realize that i can't "fix" scoliosis I am just proactive in exercises that keep my agile.


As far as I know your curve is somewhere around 49 degrees and you only wore the Spinecor brace for "5" months ??????? So what makes you the expert ?

[LindaRacine]

So what makes you the expert ?

Celia...

Fina14314 was merely stating an opinion based on her own treatment, which she has every right to do. I think she has more experience in terms of using the brace on adults than you do. You guys protest so much that at times, I've wondered about your motives.

--Linda

[marmyte]

i think 5 months in a skeltally mature adult is a long time to be wearing a brace, if it hasn't improved by then, i think it's right to believe it's not ever going to work. i have no idea why people seem to think they can be the first person ever to have a brace be effective on them as an adult, but then i just can't see it from their point of view...

i think Karen made a very good point in that bracing doesn't always work on adolescents (even if you consider a brace "working" to be holding a curve at its original angle) and how can it be expected to work on someone who is much less flexible?

it would be nice to believe that non-invasive therapies will work for everyone, but that's just not true. scoliosis has to be taken on a case by case basis but that doesn't mean bracing will work in adulthood. sad as i am to say it, even if the world develops a fantastic screening programme and the best brace ever seen, fusion surgery will be the only option for some patients (and not just congenital/infantile/juvenile patients with a less positive outlook)

i'm not trying to single anybody out here and shoot down your hopes of a surgery-free future, but i believe what i've said is realistic. sometimes, you can't fight what will happen anyway, but if you can that's fantastic

[Celia Vogel]

Celia...

You guys protest so much that at times, I've wondered about your motives.

--Linda


What motives could there possibly be other than trying to avoid surgery. :confused: I'm certainly not getting kick backs from any organization, if that's what you're inferring ! If an adult wants to try a method which shows promise then why not ? Why shoot them down ???? Do you feel everyone should go down the same surgery path as you ?

[LindaRacine]

Celia...

I don't think you've ever heard me encourage anyone to have surgery. If someone has already made up their mind to have surgery, I usually try to be supportive. And, I've stated many times that people should try to avoid surgery if they can. I hate that anyone has to go through it. That doesn't preclude me, however, from trying to warn people that there are a lot of charlatans out there who want to take advantage of the fact that there are desperate people who will do anything to avoid surgery.

If and when someone proves that adults can actually avoid surgery by undergoing some treatment, I'll be the most vocal person out there. Until that time, I'll continue to warn people that not a single person has come forward to show that their significant structural curves were permanently reduced by any treatment.

With all of that information, if someone still wants to try one of these treatments, I say go for it... unless, of course, it causes my insurance premiums to increase.

--Linda

[Karen Ocker]

I checked the SpineCor web site and realize it's a chiro prescribing a brace for scoliosis. That makes me suspicious.

Here is a chart comparing education of a chiro with that of other health practitioners:

http://www.chirobase.org/03Edu/adm.html
I was shocked to see that a BS degree is not needed to enter chiro school and the GPR is the lowest of all the professions listed.


"The brace has to be adjusted every 3 months to accomodate the changes in the spine and muscle groups". Must x-rays be taken each time? That is a lot of x-rays.
Also a 2 degree improvement can just be an error in measurement.

[Celia Vogel]

Fina14314,

I am SO sorry for sounding so brief and harsh ! I certainly didn't mean to discount your contribution to the discussion and I sincerely hope you accept my apologies. :( Last night I was racing between checking the internet and checking dinner that I wasn't really thinking clearly. What I meant to say was that you only wore the brace for 5 months and I don't think that it could be considered long enough to even make a difference.... most studies normally last a number of years. I would think that a 49 curve is quite severe. My five year old daughter is wearing the Spinecor - so naturally I believe in this product -and apart from chafing around the leg area, hasn't complained of stomach pains but I guess if one is older - that might be an issue ?

The message I'm getting is that if one is past the growing stage, there is NOTHING that can be done other than taking pain killers and if the pain becomes unbearable - surgery. So bear it and grin ! :rolleyes:

[gerbo]

With scoliosis being such an emotive subject, there is always the risk being carried away a bit, and exchanges of view can look a bit harsh. In the end all what each and everyone is trying to achieve is trying to make a difference, either for themselves, their child, or even the wider community.

I am completely with linda, in that there are inevitable lots of charlatans out there, making financial gains on the back of desperate people, and i have come across them myself as well.

The experience of one person though doesn't mean that the concept is wrong, many young people will not have benefitted from classic braces, like the boston, this doesn't mean that the boston doesn't work, i am sure it does, but not for everybody

I am sure that most of us would agree that the jury is stillm out on the spinecor, however, the evidence up till now, however limited is promising enough for many of us to "take the risk", myself (well, my daughter)included.

Ofcourse there are categories where succes is so much less likely, and i do not think that the spinecor manufavturer would make any claim that a 22 year old with a 40-50 degree curve would have a chance of improvement.

Reversely though, if i was in my 50's with a slowly worsening curve and the prospect of increasing pain and increasing immobility, I'd consider it, what alternqtive would i have?

I feel at this stage that whatever we do in the next few years could be a gamble, be it not doing anything (as i still have seen being advocated), using a nightbrace only, using a boston, going to germany for schroth therapy, all of it could work, however, no garantee for anything. The evidence for the spinecor isn't bad though, (and it makes sense!!)and nothing worse then what i have seen for other forms of bracing. I know , we could do with a bit more of it(will be coming though, a new article has been accepted by european spine journal, awaiting publication)

Re the prescribing of the spinecor; in the uk and in many worldwide centres it is doctors who prescribe the spinecor, but i have also noted that in places it is chiropracters doing it. I do get confused with this, as chiropracter seem to mean an awful lot of different things to many people which isn't a good sign in my eyes. However, amongst them there must be many good and dedicated professionals, and as long as they have been properly trained I cannot see any reason why they couldn't prescribe the spinecor

By the way xrays are at fitting, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and then 6 monthly after.

2 % improvement? it isn't a lot and could be a measuring error, however, keeping your mind open that it might do "something positive" isn't a bad attitude. I f nobody doesn't try anything new before being backed by 6 double blind randomised etc studies, we'd still walk around in loincloths living in caves.

:) :) :)

gerbo

[green m&m]

fina14314,

I'm almost in the same situation as you. Except I was never braced or treated... though bracing wouldn't have helped me much because my major curve is dystrophic.

I'm 25 and my major curve is 49'. No surgery yet, but unfortunatly for me, I WILL need surgery... no doubt. The question is -- when? i want to wait as long as possible but not too long since it'll be harder to acheive optimal correction as I get older.

Thankfully I don't get backpain as often as I used to and they don't affect my function or daily life.. just very very annoying.

[fina14314]

I hear ya on the annoying part ;) Are you doing anything to help your back as it is now? any physically therapy, massage? If you keep your back agile and healthy do you still think you will have less correction with surgery? If you wait longer? What are your reasons for waiting? And why do you say the surgery is inevitable. Just wondering :)

[green m&m]

I hear ya on the annoying part ;) Are you doing anything to help your back as it is now? any physically therapy, massage? If you keep your back agile and healthy do you still think you will have less correction with surgery? If you wait longer? What are your reasons for waiting? And why do you say the surgery is inevitable. Just wondering :)

As of now I'm not doing anything. I want to get into swimming but the cost i s keeping me from it.... the Y in my town charges at least $40ish monthly for the most basic membership. :-\ Haven't investigated about commercial gyms -- I don't really like those b/c they usually try to tie you into a contract.

I'm waiting so I can keep the normal movement of my spine as long as possible.. and my curve at the moment is borderline for surgery. The reason the surgery is inevitable is because I have dystrophic scoliosis. My major curve only involves four vetrebraes, and two of them are wedge shaped. So it's short and sharp. These type of curves tend to be more 'agressive'.