Milwaukee brace correction of idiopathic scoliosis. A biomechanical analysis and a restrospective study.

We analyzed the biomechanics of Milwaukee brace treatment of idiopathic scoliotic patients through simulation in five computer-constructed model spines. The contributions to correction of each component of the brace were examined in these model spines, and some of the mechanical principles that determine the outcome of brace treatment were studied. The validity of the stimulation findings was then tested by a retrospective analysis. Simulation was used to predict the outcome of milwaukee brace treatment in sixty-eight patients. In 81 per cent of these patients, the actual outcome agreed with the prediction. The study suggests that careful adherence to mechanical principles in the use of a Milwaukee brace will result in successful treatment of more patients.