Trying not to make a Fashion Statement (NOT) with my Brace

I think that I will put how my injury to my spine developed and what led to the use of the initial and other braces to a later time. At the moment I would like to discuss the wearing of the garment (brace). Well that's what it ends up being is a garment or fashion statement just like any other piece of clothing or jewelry.

If you are like me, your TLSO or CTLSO is such that it either has to be worn above your clothing or is practically visible from beneath your clothing or extends above the neck line with some kind of neck ring or chin and neck pads to provide support to your entire spine. TLSO's usually go from the pelvis area to the top of your chest but not above the neck. CTLSO's extent above the neck line with some kind of neck ring or chin and neck pads as well as some kind of pads behind the head.

When you get a TLSO the orchardist tells you, "don't worry, you can wear it under your clothing and it will not be visible." Well there is an expression, “Lots of Luck”. You are going to need it if you believe the orchardist if they tell you that it is going to fit under your clothing and no one will notice. When you arrive for your brace fitting, no matter what the orchardist has told you, be prepared to have your waist extended two to three inches. The brace will be bulky as well. My latest was a low profile DeRoyle Ultralin TLSO. The low profile Ultralin TLSO did just that. The brace extended my waist by about two to three, maybe four inches and it is bulky; no matter how low profile it is considered. There is no way that I am going to get this brace under my clothes, especially any kind of formal clothes like suits. The only other alternative is to go out and purchase larger “brace” cloths. First there is the expense of maintaining two wardrobes and even with a "brace" wardrobe I look like a balloon. I would prefer to just wear the low profile DeRoyle Ultralin TLSO above my clothes. At least that way people can see it and know what I am wearing and what it is all about. The Jewett Florida CTLSO brace that I sometimes wear extends above the neck line with a chin cup and pads in the back of the head. There is no getting around that unless you wear a turtleneck and a scarf (in the middle of summer when it's 102 degrees out). People are just going to see the brace. Pictures of the DeRoyle Ultralin TLSO and another TLSO are pictured above this post. Pictures of the Jewett Florida CTLSO can be seen on this Blog or links to his Blog. I think you can tell what I mean when I refer to a brace being a "fashion statement."

The DeRoyle Ultralin TLSO provides very good support and I get by with it a lot of the time. Once tightened with the Velcro straps it is really form fitting. The rear lower portion of the brace pushes right up against the upper portion of the buttocks and lower portion of the lower back. The chest pad and front of the brace seem to work in combination with the rear. As an example, when you move forward or backwards. When you move forward the chest pad forces pressure on the rear of the upper buttocks. At the same time forces to the lower back are applied adding stability and ensuring that the pain is not present. When you move backwards the top or the rear portion of the brace again places force on the rear of the upper buttocks and lower back adding stability and ensuring that the pain is not present. The chest piece (breastplate) and the top or the rear of the brace really ensure that the proper forces are applied to the spine to prevent pain and further injury and you can really feel these forces at work! However these forces take their toll. There have been times when the forces of the brace get to be so much from sitting or standing that I have had to result myself to using crutches to alleviate the forces along with the brace when I had to move around.

There are times however when you just need the added support and or traction type force of a full CTLSO. As mentioned above I have been wearing a Jewett Florida CTLSO brace that extends above the neck line with a chin cup / pad and pads behind the head connected with adjustable straps that go from the chin cup / pad to the pads behind the head. There is no getting around this. This is a fashion statement. I don't wear it out alot; however, sometimes I do need to wear it in public. There is no avoiding eye contact with this brace! The Jewett Florida CTLSO brace acts a little different than using compression. It has a pelvic pad that extends below the waist that is connected to an aluminum frame with pads on each side and a large chest pad across the sternum / chest area. Another pad goes around your back and is tightened by the use of a "worm" type device that draws up the pad behind the back and places pressure against the pelvic pad below the waist and the chest pad on the sternum / chest area. This places and holds your back in a hyperextend position taking the pressure off of your back. It surprisingly restricts your side to side movement as well. Attached to the chest pad and frame on the sternam area of your chest is a anterior (front) strip bar of metal (I think aluminum, but not sure) that has screw hole in it. The screws screw into three of these hole in a verticle manner and hold this anterior (front) strip of metal securly in place. This bar is attached to a white leather chin pad or cup that can be molded to adjust to you. A harness type thing (don't know how else to describe it) goes over your shoulders. On the back of this harness type device is attached a posterior (rear) strip of metal or bar. At the bottom of the bar is a white leather pad that presses up against the lower portion of your back. On each side of white leather pad that presses up against the lower portion of your back are two white straps on each side that attach to clips on the side pads of the front of the frame of the brace. When these straps are tightened along with the "worm" type device on the right side of the brace you back is held in an even more surprisingly hyperextended and secure postion. The front of the harness type device is attached over the shoulders is attached to the front of the chest / sternam area on each side of the frame. On the top of the posterior (rear) bar is a white cushioned head type device that can be molded to the shape of your head and extends out to what is two cushioned pads behind your head. The front chin pad or cup will tilt forward allowing you to move about and do such things as sleep and eat easier. The front chin pad or cup has two metal snaps on each side of it. These snaps are snaped into place with a signifigant click and and the white cushioned head type device that is molded to the shape of the back of your head and extends out to what is two cushioned pads behind your head is drawn foward and fastened in the same manner as the front chin pad or cup. Wow, that was a lot of work!

Once the Jewett Florida CTLSO brace is fastened and in place as described above it is surprisingly and extremley securley in place and holds your entire spine from below your hips to the bottom of your chin and back of your head above your neck in a very secure and ridgid position. There is no moving back and forth or side to side unless your whole spine including your lower, middle, upper back, neck and head all move in risgin unison with each other. Once the brace is on you have no choice in this matter. Your entire spine is secure! I forgot to mention that getting off of the couck or bed is almost impossible in this brace without rolling over to the side and moving your whole body downwards off of the bed and or couch. As I said there is no avoiding eye contact ewith the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace!

There is a video of me putting on both the Ultralin TLSO brace and the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace on our YouTube Channel. Links to our YouTube Channel are located in the upper right hand portion of the blog.

By the the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace holding your spine, neck and head in such a ridged and hyperextened position the brace takes "all" the forces away from the injured portioned of your spine and places them elswhere.

I think what surprises me the most in the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace is how secure the bar attached to the to the white leather chin pad or cup below your chin is! This bar is unmovable. It is like there and got going anywhaere! Just a personal observation of mine, that's all.

The Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace provdes a much more complete and different type of relief by relieving and redistributing the forces from your spine to other portions of your body as does the the Ultralin TLSO brace which applies forces to your spine to achieve the desired relief.

I still do not geet the desired relief that I need from the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace. I soon will have a Clamshell TLSO with a Minerva CTO Brace attached to it to make a CTLSO. The unique part about this brace and what is holding it up is the Clamshell Body of the TLSO Brace has been fabricated with a very colorful "Tornado" design into the Clamshell itself. More about this later. If you need to wear a brace you might as well enjoy it and keep your sense of humor about it!

In my mind the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace provdes a much more complete and relieving experiance than the Ultralin TLSO brace.

This brace even though it has less showing (only above the neck) as oppose to the Ultralin TLSO which has the whole brace showing, breast plate and all attracts much more attention than the Ultralin TLSO brace. I have yet to fiqure this out. I always get questions such as, "what happened to your neck." I keep saying, it's not my neck, it's my back!

With that in mind I am tryining to find a happy medium (brace) for situations of short term (3-5 hours)that will apply a combination of the forces applied by the Ultralin TLSO brace and the relief of the Jewett Florida CTLSO body brace. I think I have found it. It is the Cybertech TLSO that provides a anterior (front) bar to a chest (sternal pad)with the unique feature of a system to draw in the upper and middle back with the use of a leveraged pulley system. All this with the ability to fit under your clothes! At the top of this post is a picture of this Cybertech TLSO. Below is a video of the LSO (lower back) portion of the Cybertech TLSO without the anterior (front) bar to a chest (sternal pad) beeing drawn up and having force applied to the upper and mid back by use of the inovative pully system. I am going to order one of these and try it. This may really assist me in situations of short term (3-5 hours.) I will let you know what the results are!