Milwaukee Brace

[wane]

This is my third week in the milwaukee brace. Has anyone else got this brace I can talk to or anybody worn the brace and has now finished.
I wore the boston brace before the milwaukee so I can answer questions about it but the milwaukee brace is totaly different and I hate it.

[Snoopy]

Have you ever tried the Spinekids website? They have a forum like this one except it is mostly kids sharing with other kids. I know a few of the kids there are also wearing a Milwaukee brace.

Mary Lou

[wane]

Milwaukee brace

Thanks for that Snoopy have found website and will most proberly register but I do like this forum as well as everyone is helpful.

[tonibunny]

Hi Wane, I wore a Milwaukee from the age of about 4 until I was ten and a half, alternating with plaster bodycasts during the winter months.

I'm not surprised you hate it at the moment! But it'll get better, and you'll get used to it, trust me

Keep smiling!

Toni xx

[wane]

Milwaukee Brace.

Oh. Does this mean because I am in a milwaukee brace I will be put in body casts through the winter as no one has said anything.
What does it feel like in a body cast. Are they heavy and can you move or bend?

[tonibunny]

Hi Wane,

No, you won't be put into casts. I was treated over 20 years ago and things have changed since then. They very rarely use plaster bodycasts these days, apart from for infants.

Toni

[PaulZ]

Hi Wane,

I had a Milwaukee brace back in the 80's and detested the thing. I'm suprised such a barbaric device is still being used but I guess if there is nothing better then you don't have much choice . I then got a Boston brace which was slightly better, but not much. I took a hacksaw to my Milwaukee brace as it had some useful bits of metal that I used on a model aircraft project
and also to make sure I didn't have to wear the thing again.
Not much help but its a bit of a grin and bear it for a while I'm afraid

Paul.

[wane]

Milwaukee Brace

Thank you I thought I was going to be cast in a thick heavy body cast and none was telling me thanks for putting my right.
Hey Paul I have looked at milwaukee braces from the 80s on the web sites most of them had hard leather girdles and raised chin pads is this what you had. Mine is a plastic girdle a throat mould instead of that pad under your chin. It is still rather barbarric in appearance but must be better than what you had if you had the old style. How long did you wear yours Im in this thing for years.
WANE

[TraumaScoli]

I have a milwaukee

Wane, I had scoliosis as a child and wore many braces. I now wear a milwaukee brace to keep my pain at bay. Im 35 right now and have been wearing ir for quite some time. You get used to it, atleast I have, sometimes I have trouble sleeping becasue the braces I had as a child let me move my head. This one does not and it gets frustrating. If you have any questions or just feel trapped,I would love to chat. Its so very hard to find any one with a Milwaukee brace anymore, its harder because I am so old.Communicating with others does help. They wanted to put me in a cast but realized I could not do therapy (which I do 4 times a week) to rid the pain and hopefully get rid of it. I cannot have my brace off for longer than two hours before my legs and arms numb and spine hurts. Hang in there.

Traumascoli

[PaulZ]

Thank you I thought I was going to be cast in a thick heavy body cast and none was telling me thanks for putting my right.
Hey Paul I have looked at milwaukee braces from the 80s on the web sites most of them had hard leather girdles and raised chin pads is this what you had. Mine is a plastic girdle a throat mould instead of that pad under your chin. It is still rather barbarric in appearance but must be better than what you had if you had the old style. How long did you wear yours Im in this thing for years.
WANE

Yeah that was the kind of thing but I didn't have to wear it at night as I had a hospital bed at home with Cotrel traction for sleeping in. To be honest I can't remember how long I had this stuff for, perhaps about 4 years, but my parents weren't the strictest when it came to using the thing so I did spend a lot of time out of it. It all just delayed the inevitable in my case.
Being in that position again I'd certainly look at other braces such as the SpineCor. And if it was suitable I wouldn't let availability get in my way!!

I know it's not easy but keep smiling and I'm sure it'll all work out for the best.

Paul.

[wane]

milwaukee brace

Hi Traumascoli
You say your milwaukee doesnt let you move your headhave you got the old chin pad or new throat mold. My brace allos a little head movement but mainly but mainly I have to look straight forward and cant look left or right without turning my whole body which I find very frustrating.
Sleeping is not all that comfortable if I lay on my back theI am laying on two steel bars and this pushes the support up at the back of my head. If I lay on my front then I lay on the front steel which pushers the thraot mold into my neck. If I lay on my side then the neck ring digs in my neck.
Sitting is more comfortable on a high chair because sitting in a low soft chair as I sink into the chair the neck ring pushers up so I have to crane my neck to avoid pressure.
My parents are very strict with exception of swimming I am only allowed out the brace to shower before bed time. Do you think they are being to strict?
I have not realy been out in public in it yet and am dreading it. If the weather is fine this weekend we are going to the coast for the day. I have pleaed with them to let me out for the day but its going to stay on they wont give in to me.
I have got a hoddie to hide the brace but I cant wear it if its to hot. My parents are telliing me the day out will be a good opertunity for me to get used to people staring and once I have done it it wont bother me so much. Im not to sure about it.
Did you have any of these problems.
WANE

[tonibunny]

Hi Wane,

I don't think your parents are being too strict. They are doing the absolute best they can for you, by making you wear the brace as you are meant to. I wore mine for 23 hours a day and my parents were very strict about it, and I am glad that they were!

I think that Paul may be a bit confused, as leather girdles and chin pads were definitely no longer used for Milwaukee braces in the UK in the 1980s. They discovered that chin pads caused jaw deformities, so by the early 1970s the chin pad had been replaced by the throat mould. Also, plastics had replaced the leather girdle by 1975. All of my Milwaukees had plastic girdles and the same sort of throat mould that yours will have had.

My Milwaukees (I had a succession of them) also "delayed the inevitable" in that I had to have surgery eventually, but this was always going to be the case as when I was diagnosed at 6 months old I already had a 62 degree thoracic curves and a 40 degree lumbar curve. Infantile Scoliosis can be very progressive, but wearing the Milwaukees and the plaster casts kept my curves from getting a lot worse. That meant that I didn't have to have surgery until I was ten, which was fantastic because it meant that I had had time to grow before they fused me.

I'm sorry that you're still finding your Milwaukee uncomfortable, but it will get better, I promise! Try getting lots of pillows and padding them around you - you might find it easier to sleep if you are tilted on one side, supported by pillows.

People will notice you wearing the brace, but generally they won't stare. Remember, it's natural to want to look at something that is new to you, that you haven't seen before, but most people will have the manners to stop themselves from staring. Try not to take it personally when people look at you; you have a brace and that's unusual, but they're not looking at you like you're a freak or anything. Just go about having fun as you usually would, and people will notice your Milwaukee but won't see it as a big deal because it doesn't look like it's bothering you too much.

Keep smiling Wane - I can tell that you're a strong person already, but this will make you even stronger

[PaulZ]

I think that Paul may be a bit confused, as leather girdles and chin pads were definitely no longer used for Milwaukee braces in the UK in the 1980s. They discovered that chin pads caused jaw deformities, so by the early 1970s the chin pad had been replaced by the throat mould. Also, plastics had replaced the leather girdle by 1975. All of my Milwaukees had plastic girdles and the same sort of throat mould that yours will have had.

Yeah you are right Toni just lost the detail that's all . Mine had a plastic girdle with 3 aluminium bars, 2 up the back and 1 up the front all topped-off with the neck contraption. The only leather bits it had were the straps and the support that came round the ribs which was nicely lined with some faux sheepskin. A nice summertime feature I thought

Paul.

[TraumaScoli]

Wane, Yeah I have a throat mold also, my head has to look forward and I can move it a little. Sleeping is a tough. I use a rolled up towel to put between my head and the bed, it works sometimes. The others are right you do need to get out more, people look but dont stare, its a part of life. People are curious. I have been wearing mine now for quite sometime, and I am used to the attention and soon everyone sees past it. I thought I wuld never get used to it I always had low profile TLSO's but this was my first Milwaukee.

Hang in there.

TraumaScoli

[wane]

Kilwaukee Brace

Once again thanks everyone for your advice I will try the rolled up towel and pillows.
Today in the UK was a real good summers day and it turned out hot.
Mum decided to take me to the city for new school cloths but this time I had to be there because they need to fit over my brace as my others dont any more.
As I said I was so nervis about going out among lots of peaple especially other kids in the brace but because all of you give good advice about people only being curious I pluked up courage and decided to try.
Mum said others seeing my neck ring would be no different to seeing most of the brace, she said it is difficult to hide this part of my brace so it would be able to be seen anyway.
Because it was so mum decided to take me out with nearly all yhe brace in view but did ask how I felt about it. I was so nervis but decided to do it but only if we took another shirt to cover up if I was not comfortable with it.
I had my brace put on over my T-shirt and wore shorts and trainers.The top part of the girdle was in view as well as the uprights and neck ring.
After being out a while I found you to be right didnt get any real stares just curious looks and I began to feel good.
I looked at myself through a shop window to see haw I looked to everyone else.
In McDonalds I heard to young boys asking their mum why I was in a steel cage. Their mum said dont stare it is rude and told them I have most proberly broken my neck. After all this I did enjoy being out in it and got new school clothes.
WANE