Welcome back to Ayesha’s corner of 28 Degrees. For those who are just starting the bracing process, I wanted to share my 3 biggest tips to get through bracing.
1. Surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you
I found that my support system throughout this process was the most influential in my brace results. On days where I felt like I couldn’t wear it, my friends encouraged me to get through the day. On days where I did wear it longer than even needed, my family recognized that, making me feel even more motivated.
2. Realize that you get out exactly what you put in
Honestly, I didn’t really see the point of wearing the brace for 22 hours. If I wore it for 20 instead of 22 who would even notice? However, I realized that this process is very much reliant on the effort that gets put in. Since your body is always growing, it is important to wear the brace the time your doctor recommends you to.
3. Use your breaks wisely—especially while eating
Often I would think to use my two hour breaks for showering and sports, however I came to realize that taking my brace off while eating and 15-20 minutes after was necessary. There were some days where I felt fine and could wear the brace while I ate. But, many other days where I could not even look at food with my brace on. It hurt to eat enough. This isn’t talked about much in the scoliosis community but making sure that your brace doesn’t restrict you from the quantity of food you eat is extremely important. Oftentimes we forget that the brace is meant to be tight, so eating a few bites of food doesn’t actually fill you up, only the brace. My biggest advice is to use your brace free time while you eat and after, so that you can ensure that you are eating enough!
Good luck to all that are starting their journeys! As always, check the 28degrees Instagram for more updates, and feel free to reach out with any questions!
