脊柱侧弯是一种医疗装置，用于脊柱侧弯的儿童和青少年。It helps slow or completely stop the sideways curve in your spine from getting worse.

Scoliosisis a condition that causes an abnormal curve in your spine.

脊柱侧弯是躯干周围戴的一种装置，可以帮助防止曲线恶化。这也可能使您将来未来需要手术的可能性就降低了，骨骼生长已经停止。

A brace is the only available treatment that can potentially slow progression of the curve in a child or adolescent whose bones are still growing. It doesn’t work after bone growth has stopped.

A scoliosis brace is designed to slow or stop progression of the spinal curvature caused by scoliosis.

Rigid braces put pressure on your spine in several places to help prevent it from curving more than it already has. Dynamic braces slow curve progression by retraining your body into maintaining a corrective posture.

两种类型的牙套mayslow progression enough to remove the need for surgery, but they can’t completely or permanently straighten your spine.

从胸部脊柱（上背部）到骨脊柱（臀部）的支撑被称为胸腔宽骨矫形器（TLSO）。它从腋窝到臀部覆盖您的身体。这是最常见的支架风格。

A brace that goes from your cervical spine (neck) to your sacral spine is called a cervical-thoracic-lumbar-sacral orthosis (CTLSO). It braces your spine from your neck to your hips.

Some braces are worn full-time; others are worn only while you’re sleeping (nighttime).

Full-time braces

  • Milwaukee brace.This was the original scoliosis brace. It’s a CTLSO. It has a metal superstructure that’s very rigid and quite noticeable because it’s worn outside of your clothing. Because of its size, bulk, and appearance, it’s not used much anymore.
  • Boston brace.This is the most commonly prescribed brace today. It’s a TLSO. It fits like a jacket, covering your body from your armpits to your hips. It’s made of hard but lightweight plastic. It doesn’t have a superstructure, so it’s not very noticeable under clothing. A prefabricated brace in your size is customized to exactly fit your body and spinal curve. It closes in the back, so it you may need help putting it on and taking it off.
  • 威尔明顿·布雷斯（Wilmington Brace）。This type is similar to the Boston brace. It’s made of the same material and fits like a jacket, but it closes in the front. It’s custom-made for you using a plaster mold of your torso.

夜间牙套

  • 查尔斯顿弯曲括号。这是规定的夜间支架。这是一个定制的TLSO，适合您的身体和脊柱曲线。它给您的脊椎施加了强大的压力，弯曲了背部的中线。只有在您躺下时，这种过度纠正才有可能。

Braces have been used to treat scoliosis for over 450 years, but there are still questions about their effectiveness.

支撑只能减慢或停止脊柱曲线的进展。他们无法摆脱曲线或拉直脊椎。

根据美国神经外科医生协会（AAN）的说法，它们在周围有效80 percentof people treated with them.

improving the effectiveness of bracing

A brace won’t work if it isn’t worn correctly or for the recommended amount of time. For maximum effectiveness:

  • 正确戴上撑
  • check often to be sure it fits properly and have it revised if it doesn’t
  • 在推荐的时间内佩戴它，通常每天16-23小时

Understand that dynamic braces may not be as effective as rigid ones.

定义

Scoliosis is a condition that causes your spine to curve too much to the left or right side of your body.

症状

Abnormal curvature of the spine can lead to:

  • uneven shoulders, waist, and hips while standing
  • your head not being centered over your body
  • 你的肋骨在一侧倾斜
  • your body tilting to the left or right
  • back pain

原因

According to the AANS, an identifiable cause is found in only20％of people with scoliosis. The remaining cases are idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown.

最常见的可识别原因是：

Diagnosis

用于诊断脊柱侧弯的工具包括：

  • physical examination
  • Adam’s Forward Bend Test, which is a screening test to look for asymmetry in the torso while you’re bending over
  • X射线,CTorMRIimages of the spine

Severity of the condition is determined by measuring how many degrees out of alignment the spine is.

如何管理脊柱侧弯取决于：

  • 你的骨头多么成熟。如果您的骨头仍在生长，则更有可能建议使用支架。
  • 脊柱弯曲的地方。Curves in your upper back tend to get worse more often than in other area.
  • How severe the curve is.In general, bracing is only used on curves that are between 25 and 40 degrees. Curves over 40 degrees are usually treated with surgery.

For significant scoliosis, bracing is the only treatment option until your bones have stopped growing. If you have mild scoliosis or your bones have matured, there are other treatment options.

观察

If your curve is mild, your doctor might decide to watch and see what happens over time rather than treat it. If the curve starts to get worse, treatment might be recommended.

How your doctor follows your scoliosis depends on your age.

Usually children see their doctor every 4 to 6 months until they’re out of their teens. Unless things are getting worse, adults with scoliosis are usually followed with an X-ray every 5 years.

手术

Braces can only slow progression of scoliosis. Surgery can potentially fix the curve in addition to stopping it from getting worse.

手术建议基于：

  • 你的年龄
  • 先前的治疗方法
  • the severity of your curve

手术is recommended when:

  • the curve is 40 degrees or larger and is progressing in a child
  • an obsolete surgical procedure performed on a child needs to be revised when they become an adult
  • the curve is 50 degrees or larger and there are signs of nerve damage, indicatingspinal stenosis

In most cases, surgery involves融合脊柱段(vertebrae) together after straightening the spine with solid metal rods.

Adults who have spinal stenosis undergo a procedure called减压椎板切除术. It creates more room for nerve roots to move through narrowed (stenosed) vertebrae.

手术后是否需要戴上撑杆，取决于所使用的手术技术。

当您患有脊柱侧弯时，支撑可有效减慢或停止脊柱曲线的进展。

它不能完全或永久拉直您的脊椎。仅当曲线尺寸中等并且骨骼仍在生长时，才能使用它。

For maximum effectiveness, your brace must be worn for the number of hours per day your doctor recommends. Braces are worn until your bones stop growing.

In an adolescent, this is usually 3 or 4 years. When scoliosis is diagnosed in childhood, a brace may need to be worn for an extended period of time, usually years.

脊柱侧弯的支撑可以帮助减慢或停止脊柱的曲率进展。只有在曲率中等时，并且骨骼仍在生长时，它才有效。

Following your doctor’s recommendations regarding when and how long to wear a brace is critical for it to be effective.