From what I read online many doctors won't brace a Juvenile curve until it reaches 25 degrees. However research has shown that curves less than 20 degrees at puberty are associated with a very low risk of fusion.
From the study link
Curves less than 20 degrees at puberty progressed to fusion in 15% of cases.
Curves that measured 21 to 30 degrees were fused in 75% of cases.
Curves over 30 degrees were fused in 100% of cases.
Why are doctors waiting to brace until after a curve is 25 degrees and has a 75% chance of fusion?
In addition take a look at how a brace is constructed.
Scroll to page 16 for a great photo. Every brace is different but they all operate on force. The larger the curve is the more the brace has to push to achieve correction. Wouldn't you guess that a brace designed for a 15 degree curve would be several times more comfortable than a brace designed for a 25 degree curve? No brace is particularly comfortable but a smaller curve requires less force to correct and is probably more pleasant to sleep in.
And finally Some research and plenty of anecdotal stories on this board suggest that bracing a Juvenile can permanently improve a curve.
From the study link
Curves less than 20 degrees at puberty progressed to fusion in 15% of cases.
Curves that measured 21 to 30 degrees were fused in 75% of cases.
Curves over 30 degrees were fused in 100% of cases.
Why are doctors waiting to brace until after a curve is 25 degrees and has a 75% chance of fusion?
In addition take a look at how a brace is constructed.
Scroll to page 16 for a great photo. Every brace is different but they all operate on force. The larger the curve is the more the brace has to push to achieve correction. Wouldn't you guess that a brace designed for a 15 degree curve would be several times more comfortable than a brace designed for a 25 degree curve? No brace is particularly comfortable but a smaller curve requires less force to correct and is probably more pleasant to sleep in.
And finally Some research and plenty of anecdotal stories on this board suggest that bracing a Juvenile can permanently improve a curve.
Another positive aspect of nighttime bracing involves an aesthetic consideration: because the patient does not need to wear the brace during the daytime, it has less of an impact on his or her everyday life. Feeling less constrained and inconvenienced by their treatment than he or she might with a full-time brace, the patient may be more likely to achieve a higher degree of compliance. This, in turn, helps boost the chances of success.
In the case of juvenile scoliosis, orthotists can take advantage of the tendency of younger children to sleep more hours than their teenaged counterparts. An ongoing study involving 60 patients with juvenile scoliosis (aged 3.5 years to 9.5 years) indicates an average in-brace correction of 101% for major curves, and 96% for compensatory curves. The average curve improved by five degrees in all treated patients.
This study also revealed that more than one third of the participants improved to the point that they were able to spend time (up to a couple of years) out of the brace.
In the case of juvenile scoliosis, orthotists can take advantage of the tendency of younger children to sleep more hours than their teenaged counterparts. An ongoing study involving 60 patients with juvenile scoliosis (aged 3.5 years to 9.5 years) indicates an average in-brace correction of 101% for major curves, and 96% for compensatory curves. The average curve improved by five degrees in all treated patients.
This study also revealed that more than one third of the participants improved to the point that they were able to spend time (up to a couple of years) out of the brace.
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