Latest take on Spinecor for adults

[JMayor]

Hello everyone,

I have been considering the the Spinecor Brace for pain management. I haven't contacted any provider yet, but I will next week. In the meantime I wanted to know what your experiences or latest known facts are related to this topic.

Here is my take on it:
If by wearing the brace my muscles can be retrained and toned to support a "corrected posture" that can be maintained when the brace is off, which is part of their claims, then that benefit alone is worth trying this brace and spending the time and money in it. When your orthopedist sends you to PT, that's exactly what they intend to do with their exercise program; to correct your posture by retraining and toning your core muscles. If any correction of the scoliosis may exist on my non structural scoliosis, then that would be an added bonus. Goal: pain management.

Anyways, please post if you aren't tired of this topic. I have read the old controversial threads on this topic and mamamax's current post. Please don't refer me to them. I would appreciate fresh comments, hopefully, not from undercover sponsors or folks who may have a financial interest in this system. :)

THANK YOU ALL!

[jrnyc]

interesting post..& timing..i just contacted spinecor by e mail and have a phone # i need to call this week to make arrangements...& at the same time, I e mailed the schroth people & got a phone # i also will call this week..i am looking into both for treating pain...have never worn a brace & have never had any specific exercises for scoli..i used to work out in a gym up to 2 years ago...after that it just got too painful, even with a trainer with me....

so i will see what comes of these inquiries....see what happens..

best of luck to you
jess

[mamamax]

Hi J - You've read my posts so I won't repeat what I have already had to say - other than to say I highly recommend both methods. I was one of those able to find instant pain relief at fitting and again fortunate enough to have a provider trained in teaching some Schroth exercises to go with (and someone well experienced in the application of this brace with adults).

As a result of bracing alone, i was able to go from waking up in pain and struggling throughout the day to waking without pain and far more able to conduct daily tasks - and at this point have reduced pain medication by half. On weekends, when i can move at my own pace, often no medication is needed at all.

I have just begun the Schroth exercises given to me in earnest. A critical eye can see those results after session (with someone like me). Both methods designed to bring progressive relief, both requiring commitment, and compliance is key - self motivation also important. Wish this had all been available to me at 30! From yours truly - not an undercover sponsor or anyone with any vested financial interest in either method .. just a simple nobody with no special status or station - grateful to have found relief. Best 2-U.

[MichelleK]

[QUOTE=NMFB;80708]Hi JMayor:
I would like to hear from the 1000+ adult SpineCor Brace users. Let's gather our own information, as SpineCor makes some rather impressive claims with little data.
1. When did you purchase the brace? ____________
2. How long did you wear it? More than 2 years? Less than 2 years? Less than 1 year?
3. Did you wear it 15-20 hours a day? 10-15 hours a day? 5-10 hours a day? To bed?
4. Did you do any special exercises along with treatment?
5. Detail the weaning process.
6. Was your curve less than when you started when out of the brace for 5 days in a row? YES NO
7. Was your curve worse? YES NO
8. Pain reduction: Use scale of 1-10. Eg. Pain was a 10, now is a 7 or the other way around.
9. I paid for my brace myself. YES NO, insurance paid _______%.
10. I am still wearing the brace. YES NO Elaborate, please.
__________________________________________________ ____________
1. May 2009
2. am told i will need to wear it 18-24 mos
3. 8-10 hrs a day Not to bed.
4. Yes, scroth exercises given specifically for my curve.
5. not there yet
6. Curve has decreased 2-3 degrees out of brace
7. no
8. Pain in brace went from an 6/7 to a 2/3
9. am waiting for insurance compensation, have sent in paperwork
10. am still in process of wearing brace 8-10 hrs a day, so far my endurance for everyday life activities has increased alot! Before spinecor I would have to lie down every 2 hrs or so, now don't need to throughout day except to do exercises. That alone is worth the cost to me! Good luck

[JMayor]

NMFB,

Excellent initiative. We should fine tune the format you offered in this thread and when we have "one thorough format" we should start a new thread with it, so it is clean, and name it something like "Spinecor Adults journal" or "Spinecor Adults diary" i.e

I propose we add the following to the format and rephrase/organize the current:

1) Age
2) Structural scoliosis or not (that way we know how it works for those whose vertebrae had already shaped to a scoliotic curve)
3) Cobb angles before wearing it, with it on, and after treatment if applicable.
3) Was your provider a chiropractor, PT, etc
4) Total cost of brace (maybe initial cost including brace, fitting, xrays, etc)
5) Pain level 1-10, when out of brace
6) would you recommend this for adults

[LindaRacine]

www.surveymonkey.com

[Pooka1]

JMayor:
I think that such a survey or study is long overdue on the SpineCor, particularly for adults. This brace has been discussed over and over on this forum, telling me that suffers want more information...that they are questioning its effectiveness, both long-term and short-term. It is very costly, for individuals and for insurance companies.

If the Spinecor inventors aren't conducting a study on adult patients there is probably a good reason. They have the data from their own clinic (or others have the data from their clinics); it's just a matter of crunching it. So while it may be time and money, I'm guessing it is something else.

[mamamax]

Am I the only one who actually looks for these things?

2009
Study conducted by:
A private Chiropractic practice and St Justine Hostpital
Montreal Canada (with surgeons/inventors)
http://scoliosisjournal.com/content/4/S1/O56
Background: The treatment of adult scoliosis with the SpineCor® Dynamic Brace deserves more attention. This brace offers a variety of combinations to improve spinal alignment depending on the type, severity and rigidity of the curve. The main therapeutic goal of this brace is to reduce the strain on the neuromusculoskeletal system. The brace acts as a dynamic support against compressive loading on the vertebral joints while creating a corrective movement in the spine.

2007
Study conducted by: The Scoliosis Care Foundation
http://scoliosisjournal.com/content/2/S1/S23
Study design: Twenty-three adults between the ages eighteen and sixty-five years, seeking treatment for adolescent onset idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) were fitted with the Spinecor Orthosis [1] after being exposed to an anterior-posterior (AP) full spine and lateral full spine radiograph, with a minimum of three months between exposures and a maximum of one year. Measurements of the radiographs were performed using a digital inclinometer in order to reduce error and all projections were exposed without the orthosis.

Sharon: The new signature does not become you. You make a far better case when using cool headed rational. Just my two cents ;-)

[mamamax]

Hi NMFB ~

Until we have an International data reporting agency regarding this condition which would report all the statistical information regarding treatments and long term outcomes - we will be a far from having all the many questions answered that would best serve patients and care givers. Research studies are based upon those who volunteer to participate. Not everyone is so inclined. For now - it seems, the best any of us adults may do is explore information and choose an available option. Then wait and watch to see if it turns out to be the correct one for us .. which I find rather ironic as it brings us full circle to the original antiquated premise of wait and watch. Good a forum such as this - and the more the better. Thank you for your well wishes NMFB and please know I do wish you well in your own journey!

[mamamax]

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SOEuOn5jFfBzK79kiZ2unA_3d_3d

While surveys may appear to be a good idea - they should also have certain controls. For example this one cannot be verified. I do believe Sharon would be able to state exactly why far better than myself. One could take it many times (sort of like voting more than once), this would skew the results. A survey that providers gave their patients (on premises) with the information then being fed into a central data base ... may provide more accurate results. Even better if SOSORT came up with the survey criteria.

GIGO is an acronym for Garbage In - Garbage Out .. coined during the early days of computers to explain faulty results.

[Pooka1]

GIGO is an acronym for Garbage In - Garbage Out .. coined during the early days of computers to explain faulty results.

It's also used to describe twins studies where they rely on self-reporting for BOTH zygosity and scoliosis incidence.

[Pooka1]

Hi, again:
In my humble opinion, SOSORT has been dragging their feet for way too long.


There is a reason for that.

The world continues to wait and watch for evidence.

[mamamax]

NFMB ~ In defense of SOSORT - this organization has only been in existence since 2004. Your initial survey is excellent - it is the self reporting, the fact that the survey can be taken multiple times (from multiple computers), and the lack of validation that will make results scientifically flawed.

Sometimes, I feel that we all belong on the Senate floor demanding that adequate funding be given to solving the riddle of scoliosis - then I realize the greatest minds have been all over it for centuries - without adequate answers for all.

SORSORT is at this time, our best hope towards finding those answers - and a central data base which has yet to evolve, will hopefully come from there. Till some future time when the answers arrive that satisfy all .. as Sharon has noted - we all wait and watch. In the mean time, many find relief through many methods. And that ... is, the way it is - or so would say, Walter Cronkite ;-)

[LindaRacine]

Any chance that Spinecor uses serial numbers? That might control for getting only Spinecor users, and only one response per individual.

[Pooka1]

Any chance that Spinecor uses serial numbers? That might control for getting only Spinecor users, and only one response per individual.

That's a clever suggestion.

[Pooka1]

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SOEuOn5jFfBzK79kiZ2unA_3d_3d

I just looked at this.

I don't know anything about designing surveys but this looks pretty good. You clearly spent some time thinking about the design.

I congratulate you.

[mamamax]

Any chance that Spinecor uses serial numbers? That might control for getting only Spinecor users, and only one response per individual.

My brace has a five digit alpha/numeric number as well as a batch code. However, the only people able to verify it would be my provider or the manufacturer. Otherwise, in an independent monkey survey .. someone could make up similar codes all day long and submit them through various computers (or on one computer by changing their IP address).

[Pooka1]

My brace has a five digit alpha/numeric number as well as a batch code. However, the only people able to verify it would be my provider or the manufacturer. Otherwise, in an independent monkey survey .. someone could make up similar codes all day long and submit them through various computers.


Good point.

Also, the manufacturers could use real numbers and just pretend to be patients.

[mamamax]

Ha! Hadn't though of that ... you do have a great sense of humor!

[Pooka1]

Yacht payments don't just pay themselves automatically. :)

[JMayor]

That is a great survey!!

But it is true that it will be skewed easily by the undercover chiro who wants your business.. I guess that the best way to do this would be sticking with the format you initially proposed and just fine tuning it and create a fresh thread. that way at least we can have registered users post on it. I know that even then, we can have fakers, but at least we can spot them more easily. Like that girl who posted about avoiding spine surgery were they offered to put 13 rods and 12 screws.. or something silly like that... she never posted again and was probably paid by the chiro or was the chiro himself.. that thread was hilarious :)

[LindaRacine]

Does anyone know if the FDA or some similar regulatory organization, in England or Canada, has data available? Who regulates the use/effectiveness of SpineCor for adults?
NMFB
I've had the same question of late. Medicare and Medicaid now hold back 10% of physician reimbursement as "pay for performance." So, if the physician's results aren't good, they don't get full reimbursement. That means that they're now having to prove the effectiveness of each surgical procedure. I've not seen any mention of this for non-MDs.

--Linda

[JMayor]

What happened to NMFB? He deleted all his posts.. was he banned by a moderator or he gave up on this forum? anyone?

[LindaRacine]

What happened to NMFB? He deleted all his posts.. was he banned by a moderator or he gave up on this forum? anyone?
Not that I know of. Very odd.

[JMayor]

maybe he was concerned about his privacy and decided to delete any information that could be traced or linked to him. What a loss for the forum..