Scoliosis the 1950s. The Milwaukee brace was the only nonoperative and noninvasive alternative to surgery at the time to provide postoperative correction to polio patients. A curve exceeding sixty degrees required the Harrington rod technique, otherwise the Milwaukee brace was recommended. However, Canadian physician, Elizabeth Wyne, observed that fifty percent of patients wearing the Milwaukee brace still required surgery later in life. Surgery may straighten the spine however it does not necessarily eradicate a patient of all the pain they suffer from due to scoliosis. Individuals who undergo surgery are left with scars and often have a lack of feeling in
Scoliosis is due to genetic factors, and 62% is due to the environment. The genetics are likely complex, however, given the inconsistent inheritance and discordance among monozygotic twins. The specific genes that contribute to development of scoliosis have not been conclusively identified. At least one gene, "CHD7", has been associated with the idiopathic form of scoliosis. Several candidate gene studies have found associations between idiopathic scoliosis and genes mediating bone formation, bone metabolism, and connective tissue structure. Several genome-wide studies have identified a number of loci as significantly linked to idiopathic scoliosis. In 2006, idiopathic scoliosis was linked with three microsatellite