Brace
Bracing is a form of treatment for scoliosis patients with curves between 26 - 40° (this is considered moderate scoliosis). A brace is essentially a plastic corset that hugs the torso. The brace stretches from your underarms to your hips. Bracing does not straighten scoliosis curves; braces just prevent curves from getting worse. There are many types of scoliosis braces, such as the Boston brace, Milwaukee brace, and Charleston Bending brace. These braces are custom-molded for each patient's body and curve.
Common Types of Braces
There are many different types of commonly-used braces such as the Boston brace, Milwaukee brace, and the Wilmington brace. Also common are the Charleston bending brace and the Providence brace. I've listed some resources you can check out to learn more about the different treatments and braces available:
Boston Brace
The Boston brace is a hard but lightweight brace made from plastic. It is the most commonly used brace to treat scoliosis. It opens in the back, so the patient will need help putting it on and taking it off. The brace is usually worn 16 to 23 hours a day, leaving just one hour for showering and exercising.
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/boston-brace
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/boston-brace
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Milwaukee Brace
The Milwaukee brace was the original scoliosis brace. It is made of metal, so it is very rigid and noticeable. Because of how big and bulky it is, it is used less frequently than the other two form-fitting braces. However, it is still used for curves that are high in the spine.
Wilmington Brace
This brace is similar to the Boston brace. It is made of the same hard, lightweight plastic, but it fits like a jacket, so it closes in the front. It is also custom-made and molded to the patients' body and curve.
Photo from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Wilmington-brace-is-a-popular-thoracolumbosacral-orthosis-that-is-custom-molded-to_fig4_24446297
Charleston Bending Brace
The Charleston brace is a plastic brace that is meant to be worn while laying down, so it is only worn at night. This is because it puts strong pressure on the spine.
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Photo from https://cbb.org/braces/
Providence Brace
Like the Charleston brace, this brace is also only worn at night. However, instead of bending the curve in the opposite direction, the brace applies rotational forces on the curve.
Photo from https://spinaltech.com/providence/
Photo from https://www.physio-pedia.com/Milwaukee_brace
