Scoliosis Specialists

The revolutionary SpineCor system for scoliosis will soon become the primary conservative management for scoliosis in the Carribean. Dr. Charles Isadore of Castries, St. Lucia will be offering the system at his clinic. Dr. Tom Pappas of Scoliosis Specialists will be in St. Lucia training providers on the SpineCor brace and protocol.

SpineCor Scoliosis Brace is the first and only truly dynamic brace, which provides a progressive correction of Idiopathic Scoliosis. Traditional rigid braces are non-dynamic and create muscle atrophy.

Dr. Pappas has been working with scoliosis for over 15 years and training providers on scoliosis management for over 5 years, and is considered one of the most knowledgeable sources on conservative management of scoliosis. Along with bracing, specific exercises will be discussed.

Recent research has shown that bracing with a dynamic brace along with SpineCor exercises can reduce a curve degree. The SpineCor Physiotherapy Program has been designed to complement the action of the brace and reinforce the principles of the treatment. Precise exercises have been designed for each type of scoliosis curve, according to the specific spine deformation and postural disorganization of the patient.

To take advantage of this opportunity and to schedule an appointment, please call Dr. Isadore’s office at (758) 572-6000. Please note that appointment time is very limited. Dr. Isadore will be seeing scoliosis patients with Dr. Pappas from March 25th - 27th.

The Dynamic SpineCor orthosis, developed in 1992-93, uses a specific Corrective Movement  which is dependant of the type of the curve. Curve classification was based on the classification of Leroux and Coillard. For the treatment, the curve specific Corrective Movement  is performed and the orthosis is applied according to definitions contained in the SpineCor Assistant Software.

All the health providers need to complete a two-phase training course before fitting the SpineCor orthosis. The first phase involves reviewing of all information necessary to understand the “Corrective Movement Principle”, the specific classifications and a workshop to fit the orthosis following these different corrective movements. The second phase consists of fitting the brace at their own practice of at least three or four patients with the help of a recognized trainer.

In order to be effective and to obtain a neuromuscular integration the orthosis must maintain and amplify the corrective movement over time. Additionally, the orthosis must be worn 20 hours a day for a minimum of 18 months to create a neuromuscular integration of the Corrective Movement  through active bio feedback.  Generally, the orthosis is stopped at skeletal maturity (at least Risser 4).

Abstracts (Confidence Interval (CI): 1.00 to 1.00) for G1,  p¼ 1.00 (CI: 1.00 to 1.00) for G2; Year 2: (p) ¼ 0.98 (CI: 0.93 to 1.00) for G1,  p¼ 0.92 (CI: 0.82 to 1.00) for G2; Year 3: p ¼0.92 (CI: 0.83 to 1.00) for G1, p¼ 0.92 (CI: 0.83 to 1.00) for G2; Year 4:  p¼ 0.88 (CI: 0.76 to 0.99) for G1, p ¼ 0.92 (CI: 0.73 to 1.00) for G2.

The SpineCor system is a flexible brace that is principally prescribed for Idiopathic Scoliosis patients with a Cobb angle between 15° and 50° and Risser sign 0 to 3.  The brace is fitted on the patient in accordance to a sub-classification of the traditional SRS definition of curve types.  The SpineCor Assistant Software guides the treatment provider through the fitting process.  The brace is prescribed to be worn by the patients 20 out of 24 hours per day until they have reached maturity, with radiological evaluations performed prior to and immediately following the fitting of the brace, and every 4 to 6 months afterwards.  To accommodate for growth and postural changes, corrective bands need to be adjusted frequently and require replacement each 6-12 months for optimum brace performance.

Still, today, 80% of the scoliosis cases are known as idiopathic. Since the true cause is unknown, the treatment can only be based on the symptoms. Until now, only two types of treatment have been known to be efficient: the first is the treatment using an orthopaedic rigid brace and the second one is surgery with a spinal system.

In both cases, the therapeutic benefits can unfortunately be associated with non-negligible drawbacks that limit their uses.  Because of a better understanding of the risk associated and of the disease evolution, we have seen a shift towards earlier treatment.

The correlation between growth potential of the child, and, more specifically, of the adolescent, and the evolution of the scoliosis has been clearly established. It was demonstrated by Duval-Beaupère  and many others ^[inc. . This means that the earlier the scoliosis appears, the greater the risks of evolution. Lonstein & Carlson analysed the natural evolution of scoliosis in a population of 729 adolescents. They concluded that a child with an angle between 20° and 29° and a Risser of 0,1 or 2, will see his/her scoliosis evolve in 68% of the cases. Stagnara and Clarisse and other authors have named the 30° limit “the critical limit” because, beyond this point, during high velocity growth periods, evolution of the disease is guaranteed.

  In 2005, Dr. Brian Ouellette, President of Scoliosis Specialists, started playing with the idea of a new scoliosis adult pelvic short for The Spinecor Brace.  One of Dr. Ouellette’s partners Dr. Lisa Tabick would wear the prototypes for hours at a time and give feedback for our engineers to make changes. We had difficulty with the comfort, wearability and materials. We needed an expert in braces and materials. We contacted the President of The Spine Corporation, Andrew Mills. Andrew was the expert we needed to help complete the design of the New Spinecor Adult Scoliosis Brace.

   After 2 years of trials and research we believe the New Adult Brace is ready to be launched. All of our hard work has paid off. As of April, 2009 the adult brace is being used in many countries throughout the World.

   Experience is the key factor in achieving a positive result. I recommend bracing with Doctors who have been using the new Adult Brace for years.

   I would like to thank one of the partners of Scoliosis Specialists, Dr. Tom Pappas out of Chicago, IL for his role in the development of the new adult brace. Dr. Pappas has been giving us his case studies as well as pre and post x-rays. This research enabled us to expedite the release of the adult brace to the World.

   Scoliosis Specialists has certified bracing centers all over the United States. All of these centers have the experience necessary to use the adult brace. You can find a certified center by going to www.scoliosisspecialists.com and clicking “contact us”.

   Scoliosis Specialists is continuing its research and development in the fight against Adult Scoliosis. For more information please call (877) 297-0901.

Title:
Effectiveness of the SpineCor brace based on the new standardized criteria proposed by the S.R.S. for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
Published:
Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, June 2007, P. 375-379
Authors:
Coillard C
Vachon V
Circo C
Beauséjour M
Rivard CH

JPOS Spinal Core Paper.pdf

Title:
Survival analysis of a group of 365 idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with the Dynamic SpineCor Brace
Published:
Résonances Eurospéenes Du Rachis. 14(43):p. 1782-1786. French.
Authors:
Vachon V
Coillard C
Zabjek KF
Rhalmi S
Rivard CH

Survival-Analysis2006.pdf

Title:
Standardization of criteria for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis brace studies: SRS Committee on Bracing and Nonoperative Management
Published:
Spine, v. 30, no. 18, p. 2068-2075.
Authors:
Richards BS
Bernstein RM
D’Amato CR
Thompson GH

Richardsetal2005.pdf

Title:
SPINECOR: A non-rigid brace for the treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis: Initial Post-Treatment Results.
Published:
Eurospine 2003 12: 141-1
Authors:
Christine Coillard, M.D.
Michel A Leroux, Ph.D.
Karl F Zabjek, MSc.
Charles Hilaire Rivard, M.D.

posttreatmentresults.pdf