The braces that are traditionally prescribed for adolescent scoliosis are not corrective but hold you in your normal scoliotic posture. There is controversy as to whether or not they actually stop curve progression. We recommend the WCR brace (For more information, see http://www.grantwoodortho.com/index.html) which can attain up to 50% in brace correction. In someone who is still growing this takes pressure off of the wedged portion of the vertebrae and can allow for long term correction if worn through skeletal maturity in an adolescent. For adults, sometimes a hard brace in someone with a curve that is in the surgical range and progressing is appropriate as well. We may sometimes use bracing in a adult for pain management.
