forget bracing
Hi there,
I just read your other thread and now this one...You are definitely doing a good job researching all your options.
I would see nothing wrong personally (both as a scoliosis pt myself and mother of two with scoliosis) with delaying surgery a bit if you are not sure, but I would absolutely forget about the brace! Bracing a 55 degree curve is so far out of the standard of care, I would be surprised if insurance even covered it. Bracing such a large curve is likely to be very painful, and there is NO literature support for a brace on a curve this large. The surgeon is offering a brace to you, the parents, to make YOU feel like you are doing something while thinking about surgery. The brace will do nothing to help your son, and it is a very difficult thing to wear.
There are a number of posts from a 14 y/o girl here, Kat, whose parents insisted she try bracing for a 50+ degree curve. It caused her great pain and severe bruising, and guess what, she is now fused and doing great. Sometimes surgery is the only option, or waiting.
Good luck with your other consults, and go with your gut on which surgeon you choose.
Gayle, age 50
Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1
mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
2017 curves stable/skeletely mature
also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable