How Long the LA Brace will Last

An adolescent’s growth is not uniform with time so the time taken to outgrow a brace can vary. During the adolescent growth spurt a child can grow up to 4 inches in one year, at other times growth can be as little as 1 inch in a year. A Boston type brace that relies heavily upon symmetrical compression and a very tight fitting waist area will typically last between 6 months and 15 months. An LA brace which has pressures and voids and relies less on compression will usually last longer, from 9 months to 18 months. In addition growth is not proportional within the body and a child can change nominally in height but still outgrow their brace due to changes to hip and/or chest dimensions.

As scoliosis is often diagnosed during adolescence, for many kids who are prescribed a brace, they will have finished growing and be discharged from bracing before it gets too small. However, a number of kids will outgrow their brace before they are finished growing and need a new brace. As a general rule if you have a change in height of more than 2 inches or a change in weight of more than 10 lbs then your brace will be starting to get small. A change in height of 3-4 inches or a change in weight of 20 lbs will mean the brace is most likely now too small.