Abstract
Author(s): Hans-Rudolf Weiss
While in scoliosis bracing today there is evidence that during growth curvatures can be corrected significantly, there is no evidence that the standard of kyphosis bracing we use today may lead to final corrections after weaning off the brace. Case report: A 12-year-old kyphosis patient presented at the office of the author with a curve of 58∘ in summer 2009. Brace treatment with a modern kyphosis brace was started immediately with an in-brace correction of more than 30 degrees. After one year of treatment the patient had outgrown his first brace, but was still immature. Therefore a new brace was constructed. The curvature was 37∘ without and 25∘ in the new brace. This brace was worn for another two years for 16 h/day and weaned off in summer 2012. 6 months later—the patient meanwhile was nearly mature (Risser 4/voice change 2.6 years) the final X-ray showed an angle of 38∘ (normal range of kyphosis angles) with full flexibility of the spine. Conclusion: Bracing with small size orthosis in kyphosis patients during growth can lead to an improvement of the curvature angle after the end of growth. The functional limitations there are in severe kyphosis angles can be improved and normalized in some cases.
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