Brace treatment is the most common nonoperative treatment to prevent curve progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The goal of this review and analysis is to characterize curve behavior after completion of brace treatment and to identify factors that may facilitate the estimation of long-term curve progression.
In adolescents, bracing prevents scoliosis from getting worse. However, scoliosis continues to worsen after brace removal. How much the curve worsens depends on how large the curve was when the brace is removed.
Larger curves at the time of brace removal worsened faster. This is important for clinicians and patient planning follow up care.
For more information, also review Frequently Asked Question on Bracing for AIS on our website.
Authors: Scott Luhmann, Daphna Zaaroor-Regev, Vidyadhar V. Upasani and Harry Shufflebarger; Spine Deformity (2023)