Scoliosis symptoms could be recognized among the students being tested from ages five to eighteen, but subsequent studies never confirmed them for this age-range. To begin the screenings, children would have their shoulder height, leg length and spinal curvature measurements taken while partially clothed. This was followed with the forward-bend test and bodily comparisons to wall charts that were printed reproductions of the ideal human posture. Unfortunately, these screenings were not always accurate and many students were misdiagnosed because poor posture could often be mistaken for scoliosis. One of the first treatments designed was the Milwaukee brace, a rigid contraption of
Management of scoliosis be braced. However, these are guidelines and not every patient will fit into this table. For example, an immature patient with a 17-degree Cobb angle and significant thoracic rotation or flatback could be considered for nighttime bracing. On the opposite end of the growth spectrum, a 29-degree Cobb angle and a Risser sign three or four might not need to be braced because there is reduced potential for progression. Surgery is indicated by the Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) at 45 degrees to 50 degrees and by the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) at a Cobb angle of