Initial In-Brace Correction in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: Adjustable Versus Traditional Rigid Braces - A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Adjustable thoracolumbosacral orthoses (TLSOs) offer potential compliance advantages over conventional rigid braces in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), but their biomechanical equivalence has not been adequately established. This retrospective case-control study compared initial in-brace correction (ICR) between a novel adjustable TLSO (n=13) and conventional rigid braces (n=10) in 23 adolescents with AIS (91.3% female; mean age 12.0´s1.0 years; Cobb 20°-45°). Median ICR was 68.8% (IQR 52-100%) versus 85.0% (IQR 45.7-100%); the difference was not statistically significant (z=0.377, p=0.735, r=0.079). Both groups surpassed the 40% ICR clinical threshold (100% vs 90%, p=0.435). Higher pre-brace Cobb angle (=0.485, p=0.020) and BMI (=0.472, p=0.024) were significant predictors of lower ICR. These hypothesis-generating findings suggest that adjustable braces achieve comparable initial correction to rigid designs, supporting their consideration as a patient-centred alternative without biomechanical compromise.