What
a Boston Brace looks like:
Front view
Back View
The brace on the left is my
very first one I had to wear when I was 8 years old
Goal: To wear the brace 20/23 hours a day by 8 to 10
weeks. This will require help from a loved one.
1.
Your brace must be put on correctly.
2.
Skin must be looked after to stop it from getting red and sore.
3.
Your brace kept clean.
Having
the Brace put on:
To
put the brace on proper really takes two people, the wearer and the helper.
Always wear an undershirt under the brace with your underpants going over the
brace.
Some
simple steps for you to follow:
1.
Wearer
stands up and your helper stands behind you while holding the brace in
their left hand
- Your helper then puts the brace in front of the
wearer with opening at the back.
- Your helper then reaches around the wearer and
spreads the brace wide enough so that wearer can then step into the brace.
- Please make sure you have all the straps outside
the plastic module.
- The opening should be in the middle of the back
so that the bumps down the spine and the crease between the buttocks are
halfway between each edge.
- Bend your hips and knees by about 45 degrees.
The brace will not fit properly if you don’t. The wearer then holds hands
on hips and with hands on “hips” of the brace, push down on the brace,
so that the sausage-shaped pads on the inside of the brace fit above the hip
bone.
- Very important make sure there are no wrinkles
in the undershirt. Wrinkles can cause sores on your body as well as being
very uncomfortable.
- The straps must be pulled tightly as possible by
your helper, then the helper threads the straps through the buckles to
fasten.
Skin
care:
The
skin under the brace needs to be toughened. The skin can become very red, and
raw. Following these steps may help prevent that.
1.
Bath or shower daily.
2.
Rub surgical spirit to all parts of the skin the brace covers; this will help
toughen your skin.
3.
Always wear a cotton undershirt (without seams), it’s good idea to turn the
shirt inside out so you don’t have the seams pressing
on your skin.
4.
Observe the skin.
5.
Never wear brace loosely, this will only cause more skin problems
for you by rubbing on the skin.
The
build up to wearing your brace 23 hours a day:
Well,
getting used to wearing your brace is a bit like getting used to wearing some
really tight new shoes. You gradually build-up to wearing your brace and this
time can take many weeks (8/10), which is what I was told by my doctor, Ha, how
wrong was he? I managed to wear my brace 23 hours a day after only three days.
Anyway lets get back to helping you.
STAGE
1: Try To wear the brace for 6
hours.
- Apply the brace properly and wear it for around
2 hours. Take it off and check your skin and give some your body some skin
care by putting the surgical spirit on to your skin.
- If the skin is pink, put the brace back on for 2
more hours then check the skin again. Do this again for half hour then put
on again.
- If your skin is looking red or sore, the brace
must be left off for about an hour and then put on again.
- If you are still at school like me you can
easily do this after school.
- Do this for the next 2/3 weeks.
STAGE
2: Lets try and keep it on for 10 hours.
- If you have managed stage one then you are ready
to move on to next stage. This can be a little difficult to accomplish
during a school day so try doing this over the weekend.
- Start by putting brace on for 4 hours.
Then check the skin and give some skin care. Put brace back on and in
2 hours check the skin. Repeat this every 2 hours until you have worn the
brace for 10 hours. This stage can last a few days. Move on to stage 3 when
you are comfortable to do so.
STAGE
3: Wear brace 18/23 hours a day.
- Now try and wear the brace for school and at
lunchtime, take the brace off and check your skin, give some skin care. Put
brace back on again. You will need help for this.
- When you get home take brace off have a bath or
shower, give skin care and put clean undershirt on before putting brace back
on.
- This may take many weeks, don’t worry, and
take your time.
EXERCISES:
There
are two sets of exercises that you will be given.
- One will be a set to be done during the hour you
are not wearing the brace. These will help your back and stop your muscles
from getting weak.
- The second lot of exercises are those which you
do while you are wearing the brace. These should be done as often as you can
during the day as it’s these exercises, which will help your brace to be
more effective in the treatment for your scoliosis.
CLOTHING:
It is
best to wear loose fitting clothes over the brace. Pants usually have to one to
two sizes larger. Best to get pants with a elastic waistbands they tend to fit
more easily.
HELP
AND ADVICE:
If you want any advice
please contact me, I will be only too happy to help you. I have been in my brace
for 6 years now, wearing it for 23 hours a day and I will tell you one thing it
keeps you warm in the winter.
Below
are pictures of the brace i wore after surgery, The main difference in this one
is that you fasten it at the front, i found it more difficult to bend in this
but that could be down to the surgery. This brace is also worn up to six months
after surgery depending on your situation.
Front
view
Back view
New Brace
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