RT Journal
A1 Price, Charles T.
T1 Brace Wear Control of Curve Progression in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
JF The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
JO The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
YR 2010
FD November 3
VO 92
IS 15
SP 2616
OP 2616
DO 
UL http://dx.doi.org/
AB 
In the article entitled "Brace Wear Control of Curve Progression in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis" (2010;92:1343-52), Katz et al. identified a correlation between greater brace wear time and lack of curve progression in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. However, one must question their conclusion that bracing controls scoliosis progression. A simple correlation does not prove a conclusion. Compliance may also reflect curve stability because the brace remains comfortable. Or, perhaps patients are willing to wear their brace as long as treatment appears to be successful. Those who observe their treatment to be failing may choose to stop that treatment and thus are labeled "noncompliant." A potential false assumption of treatment methodology is that treatment is benign, without intolerable side effects, and correlates with outcomes.