The Boston brace, a type of thoraco-lumbo-sacral-orthosis (TLSO), is a

back brace A back brace is a device designed to limit the motion of the spine in cases of bone fracture or in post-operative spinal fusiona, as well as a preventative measure against some progressive conditions or to correct patient posture. Common back br ...

used primarily for the treatment of

idiopathic An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparent spontaneous origin. From Greek ἴδιος ''idios'' "one's own" and πάθος ''pathos'' "suffering", ''idiopathy'' means approximately "a disease of its own kin ...

scoliosis in children. It was developed in 1972 by M.E "Bill" Miller and John Hall at the

Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital formerly known as Children's Hospital Boston until 2012 is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical Scho ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

Information

Since it lacks the metal superstructure of the Milwaukee brace, which was the most commonly worn brace until the development of the Boston brace, the brace is typically not noticeable under clothing. The Boston brace is prescribed for correcting curves in the lumbar or thoraco-lumbar part of the spine. It is designed to keep the lumbar area of the body in a flexed position by pushing the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

in and flattening the posterior lumbar contour. Pads are placed at the apex of the curves to provide pressure, and areas of relief from pressure are positioned opposite the curves. The brace is normally used with growing adolescents to hold a 20° to 45° advancing curve. The brace is made of high density

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins a ...

lined with

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including b ...

foam that is customized to the individual patient, and it opens in the back via a series of

Velcro Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fast ...

straps. Daily use of the brace ranges from 16 to 23 hours a day. The brace is intended to minimize the progression to an acceptable level, not to correct the curvature. If the curvature continues despite the brace, then the wearer may have to undergo

spinal fusion Spinal fusion, also called spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a neurosurgical or orthopedic surgical technique that joins two or more vertebrae. This procedure can be performed at any level in the spine (cervical, thoracic, or lumbar) and pre ...

surgery.

History

M.E. "Bill" Miller patented the Boston brace in 1975.

References

Orthopedic braces 1972 introductions {{medical-equipment-stub