Dr. Hey opines about bracing

[Pooka1]

http://drlloydhey.blogspot.com/2012/...s-bracing.html

(emphasis added)

We explained the prospective bracing literature which has shown that bracing may decrease the rate of scoliosis surgery by as much as 50% at the time of skeletal maturity. We also explained, however, that the brace does not straighten the curve, or improve her posture / appearance, and it is no guarantee that she will not need surgery in the future.

I am glad he said to the point of skeletal maturity though I wonder if he then goes on to tell them about all his cases of collapsing spines that were extremely subsurgical at maturity.

I feel like popping for an appointment just to explore with him just how much he feels he has to couch that "may" to be intellectually honest. As written, I suggest it is technically true though highly misleading. The best figure I am aware of is bracing at least delays surgery past skeletal maturity in at most about 10% of cases after you remove the kids who are unnecessarily treated and the brace failures (which might be too high due to non-compliance).

[rohrer01]

I know a lovely young woman who was diagnosed with a very small right thoracic curve at around age 11 or 12. She endured four years of tortuous bracing only to end up having surgery at age 16. When I asked her if she had known if she would end up with surgery anyway, would she have still worn the brace, she was unsure. Her reply was that she thought that maybe her curve would have been even worse without the brace, so she would probably have worn it.

This just goes to show that we need REAL data about bracing and progression. Cases like this are maddening because of the "what if's".