Your prescribing physician determines how long each day that a patient needs to wear their scoliosis brace after the break-in schedule has been followed.

After we fit and dispense the brace to the patient, it is recommended to measure the height of the child without shoes against a wall or edge of a door just by making a mark. Please do this both standing and sitting in a chair every 2-3 months. This helps to accurately assess the change in height and how much of the height change occurred in the spine. The exact height is not as important as the change in height the period of time in which it occurred.

The in-brace X-ray should be done after the brace has been worn full time by the patient for at least two weeks after the break-in period has ended. This is typical 4 weeks after the initial fitting. A prescription is needed from your physician or physical therapist for the X-ray. We encourage you to schedule a brief visit at our office prior to the X-ray so that we are able to place markers on the brace, labeling where the contact points have been applied and to check the fit of the brace.

Patients should plan on visiting our office every 3 months after receiving the brace or more if they are growing rapidly. Parents should contact us once your child has shown significant growth in height (usually exceeding1.5inches) or significant weight change. Changes in weight are usually easy for us to accommodate however growth in the trunk is more important for us to monitor. A visit to our office depends on many factors which include the results of in-brace x-rays, patient growth, clinical photo reviews and any fit issues that arise. The initial fitting brace life is approximately 10-15 months which depends on the patient's growth in height (trunk length) and in some cases the change in curve pattern. There is no charge for a follow-up visit and appropriate fit of the brace is important.