Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Absolutely! Exercise is a crucial part of your treatment. It helps keep your chest wall flexible and strengthens your muscles. Deep breathing exercises also encourage your lungs to expand against your chest wall, helping push it outward.

In the later stages of treatment, exercising while wearing the brace can make the chest correction more permanent. Swimming is particularly effective because it mimics exercises that stretch and loosen the chest muscles. Just make sure to take off your brace for swimming or contact sports, and ask your clinician about the best swimming strokes for your treatment.

This is a common concern for many patients. The Dynamic Chest Compressor brace is designed to be discreet. Most patients find it easy to hide under loose-fitting shirts for school or work.
If you need to wear two braces—one for the main deformity and another for rib flaring—they might be more noticeable under tighter clothing. But loose clothes generally work well to keep the braces out of sight.

This is a common concern for many patients. The Dynamic Chest Compressor brace is designed to be discreet. Most patients find it easy to hide under loose-fitting shirts for school or work.
If you need to wear two braces—one for the main deformity and another for rib flaring—they might be more noticeable under tighter clothing. But loose clothes generally work well to keep the braces out of sight.

At your consultation, our specialist clinician will:
• Examine your chest and posture
• Check for alignment issues from head to toe
• Assess how flexible your chest is
• Identify the specific type of pectus you have
If you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian must attend with you.
If the clinician thinks your chest will respond well to our Dynamic Remodelling Method (pectus brace), they’ll take photos and 3D scans of your chest. Then, we’ll schedule an appointment to fit your brace, which takes about an hour.

Regular check-ups are a key part of your treatment. You’ll usually visit one of our specialist orthotists in person, but virtual consultations are also an option.
• For younger patients: Check-ups might be more frequent because their bodies are growing quickly, and we’ll need to make sure the brace fits properly as they grow.
• For other patients: Appointments can be spaced out based on your progress and needs.
These visits help us track your progress, adjust the brace, and check for any discomfort. If you’re having any issues with the brace, like irritation or an improper fit, don’t wait for your next appointment—reach out to us anytime.
For international patients, we offer remote follow-ups through video calls, and our specially designed braces are built to accommodate growth and be adjusted remotely.

This depends on your personal goals. Are you looking to avoid surgery? Improve your chest’s appearance? Reduce rib flaring? We’ll talk through all of this during your first consultation.
While pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum don’t usually cause serious health issues, many people choose treatment to feel more confident. In fact, 92% of our pectus carinatum patients in a 2018 survey said that treatment significantly improved their social life.

The best time to start depends on a few factors: the severity and location of your chest wall deformity, how flexible your chest is, what results you’re hoping for, and your age.
For most people, early adolescence (around 12 to 16 years old) is the best time to start. This is when your chest is still growing and more responsive to correction. Starting early can even help avoid the need for surgery in some cases. For younger patients, bracing can also prevent the deformity from getting worse as they grow.
For adults (between 20 and 30), it’s harder to achieve big changes because the cartilage in the ribs becomes less flexible over time. But it’s not impossible! Many adults with pectus excavatum or pectus carinatum have had great results—especially if their chest is still flexible.

Torticollis is usually linked to the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. Some common causes include:
• Positioning in the womb – The baby’s position before birth can tighten the SCM muscle.
• Muscle development issues – The SCM muscle might not develop normally, leading to tightness and tilt.
• Birth trauma – Injury to the SCM muscle during birth can also result in torticollis.
You might not notice signs right away. It usually becomes clearer when your baby is around six to eight weeks old, as they start to control their head and neck movements.

At London Orthotic Consultancy (LOC), we know that timely intervention is essential for newly diagnosed adolescents whose scoliosis curves can progress rapidly. To address this, we offer a same-day service where new patients can undergo an assessment and be fitted with a custom-made brace on the same day. This swift process ensures that treatment can begin immediately, helping to manage the condition effectively and stop further curve progression.

The brace is suitable for:
• Growing children and adolescents
• Adults with mild to moderate curves
• Patients with progressive curves
• Those with curves of 30 degrees or more at diagnosis
• Patients awaiting surgery who want to prevent further curve progression

Yes, at London Orthotic Consultancy (LOC), we manufacture our own scoliosis braces in-house. This allows us to maintain complete control over the design and production process, ensuring each brace is tailored to the individual needs of our patients. By handling the manufacturing ourselves, we are able to offer faster turnaround times, which means you won’t have to wait long for your custom brace.

Our in-house manufacturing also allows for precise customisation, ensuring an optimal fit that maximises the effectiveness of the brace. Each brace is designed to provide the right level of support and comfort, based on the specific requirements of your condition. This approach ensures the highest level of quality and care, and it gives us the flexibility to make adjustments as needed, ensuring that the brace continues to meet your needs as your treatment progresses.

The LOC Scoliosis Brace is crafted from high-quality, durable hard plastic, providing robust support for the spine while ensuring optimal functionality. The brace is designed with foam pads at key pressure points to enhance comfort and reduce irritation during wear. These pads are strategically placed to offer cushioning and support where it’s needed most, such as around the ribs and back.

For ease of use and comfort, the brace features adjustable Velcro straps that allow for a custom fit, enabling patients to modify the tightness for optimal support throughout the day. This combination of materials ensures that the LOC Scoliosis Brace is both flexible and effective, offering both comfort and the necessary corrective support for scoliosis management.

Our clinical data shows an average in-brace correction of 85%, surpassing other braces like the Boston brace (50%) and asymmetric braces (50-65%). This allows for effective treatment of both simple and complex curves across various age groups.

We offer free online assessments for scoliosis. If necessary, we can refer you to an orthopaedic consultant at The Wimbledon Clinic, Parkside, for further evaluation and imaging.

Yes, bracing is an effective, conservative treatment, particularly in adolescents with moderate curves. Scientific studies show that bracing reduces the need for surgery. Success depends on factors like age, curve severity, and adherence to the treatment plan. However, severe curves (over 40 degrees) may still require surgery.

Treatment depends on the severity of the curve, measured by the Cobb angle.
• For curves under 20 degrees, we monitor the condition alongside a tailored exercise program based on Schroth principles, delivered by Scoliosis SOS.
• For curves over 20 degrees, we prescribe the LOC Scoliosis Brace, which works three-dimensionally to realign the spine and reduce the Cobb angle. Combining bracing with specialist physiotherapy offers optimal results.

Yes, mild scoliosis can progress over time, especially during periods of growth. As a child grows, the curvature of the spine may worsen.

• Study Findings (2017): A study from 2017 found that children with scoliosis curves between 21-30 degrees had a 72.5% chance of the curve progressing to over 45 degrees. Curves that exceed 45 degrees typically require surgical intervention.
• Recent Research (2023): A 2023 study explored the use of the Proximal Femur Maturity Index (PFMI) at brace initiation to predict scoliosis progression. The study showed that for patients with a curve of ≥30°, the risk of progression to surgical levels was 30% for those starting braces at PFMI grades 2 and 12% for those starting at grade 3.

Scoliosis is officially diagnosed through an X-ray, often followed by an MRI scan. A critical factor in determining treatment is the Cobb angle, a measurement of the spine’s curvature in degrees, first established by Dr. John Cobb in 1948. Our clinicians can assess X-rays, so feel free to send them to us for evaluation.

Scoliosis affects approximately 2 to 3% of the population. According to the NHS, around three or four in every 1,000 children require treatment. It’s most commonly diagnosed in children aged 10 to 15.

Parents should watch for the following visual indicators:

• Visually curved spine
• Shoulders look uneven (one appears higher than the other)
• Uneven waist
• Leaning to one side
• Head does not look centred over body
• Rib hump

Most of the patients we see have idiopathic scoliosis—ADD LINK FROM NEW WEBSITE, meaning there’s no identifiable medical cause. It often appears during periods of rapid growth, particularly in adolescence, which accounts for over 85-90% of diagnosed cases in children.

No, scoliosis is not hereditary. There is no single gene responsible for causing the condition.

The LOC Scoliosis Brace is one of the most advanced braces available in the UK. It’s a 3D-designed, hyper-corrective brace tailored to each patient’s unique spinal curve.
Here’s what it does:
• reduces and corrects the scoliosis curve (Cobb angle)
• works on simple and complex curves
• helps manage pain
• improves posture and appearance
• slows curve progression before spinal surgery
Unlike traditional braces, it’s easy to put on, opening at the front, and it’s designed to be discreet under clothing. The brace is typically worn for 22 hours a day (including at night) and works best when combined with Schroth-based therapy.

We offer free virtual assessments for scoliosis if you’d like your child to be screened. If we think your child needs to see a specialist, we recommend a consultation at The Wimbledon Clinic, Parkside, with Mr Darren Lui, Mr Jason Bernard, or Mr Tim Bishop. They’ll arrange any imaging needed. You can also reach out to your GP for advice.