Smart brace versus standard rigid brace for the treatment of scoliosis: a pilot study

The outcomes of brace treatment for scoliosis depend on how the brace is used. Simply prescribing a brace does not mean it will be worn properly. A smart brace has been developed to control the brace wear tightness with the expectation that appropriately worn braces will improve outcomes. Twelve brace candidates (10F; 2M) agreed to participate into this study and were randomly divided into 2 groups. The smart brace group used the smart brace for the first year, and then wore the standard brace for the following year. The standard rigid brace group wore their TLSO for 2 years. Both groups were followed for 3 years after they finished the brace treatment. The smart brace group showed better quality of brace wear, wearing their brace at the prescribed tightness level a higher proportion of time than the standard brace group. All subjects in the smart brace group had successful outcomes, Cobb angle changed less than 5°, whereas 2/6 subjects in the standard brace group had unsuccessful bracing. One had 7° increment and 1 underwent surgery. The smart brace group also reported that the smart brace was more comfortable to wear than the standard rigid brace.