How effective is bracing for scoliosis?

There are many factors that determine how effective bracing can be, including compliance to a full-time wear schedule, the design of the brace, the expertise of the orthotist, along with other factors we do not yet understand.

While the patient is wearing the brace, we want to see the curve reduce. This is called in-brace correction.

The goal of bracing is to stop curve progression; depending on age, curve type, severity, and flexibility, we may be able to obtain some correction after the brace is removed.

A 2013 report called the BrAIST Study provided evidence of the effectiveness of bracing in treating adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. In fact, bracing was shown to be so effective that the study had to be stopped early because it was deemed unethical to deny the treatment to other patients who may benefit from bracing.