Adult scoliosis: bracing to reduce back pain

In adult scoliosis patients with back pain, brace treatment reduced the pain at 1 month, and the improvement was found to be stable at 6 months. This is what emerged from the first prospective study on this topic. The research, by Isico, was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International and entitled “Can bracing help adults with chronic back pain and scoliosis? Short-term results from a pilot study”.  

“We included 20 patients, all with severe scoliosis” explains Dr Fabio Zaina, physiatrist at Isico. All had back pain secondary to scoliosis and were treated with the Tri-Point brace, which they wore for 1-2 hours a day. Our aim was to establish whether bracing in adults can reduce pain and improve quality of life”.

Developed in the USA, the Tri-Point is a prefabricated device that, however, can be adjusted to the single patient. 

“This is the first time we have conducted this kind of research in adults” Dr Zaina goes on, “and the results were very positive: improvements are seen very early on, with the pain diminishing and quality of life remains constant. What is more, considering the brace wearing time (1-2 hours a day), it is possible that wearing it for a longer time each day might produce even greater benefits”.