Uhmm.. I got scoliosis.. Im wondering if having a surgery makes my spine better or worse?.. ?

Question

please help me .. :(

Answer 1

How old are you? Are you done growing? What degree is your curve?

Treatment of scoliosis is based on the severity of the curve and the chances of the curve getting worse. There are three main categories of treatment: observation, bracing, and surgery.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common form of scoliosis. It occurs more often in girls than boys.

If the curve is small when first diagnosed, it can be observed and followed with routine X-rays and measurements. If the curve stays <25 degrees, no other treatment is needed. If the curve is 25-40 degrees, a brace may be recommended. If the curve is >40 degrees, then surgery may be recommended.

If the curve stays <40 degrees until the person is finished growing, it is not likely to get worse later in life. However, if the curve is greater than 40 degrees, it is likely to continue to get worse by 1-2 degrees each year.

Personally, I was braced for 10 mo. with a Wilmington jacket, had surgery to have my upper curve fused, and braced for another 10 mo. with a Boston brace while my lower curve stabilized. This all took about 3 yrs.

I'm as normally functioning as anyone (are any of us really "normal"?). I never got off schedule with school (had surgery over summer break when I was 14). Graduated college at 20 and have been an OR nurse for 16 years, one of the most physically demanding areas of nursing (lots of lifting and lots of standing in one place for long periods). I've had 2 children without difficulty (didn't even use an epidural). I love to travel (I don't set off metal detectors), yoga (though the fusion prevents some positions), and SCUBA dive. I can pretty much do anything I want...but don't tell my husband I use the scoliosis to get out of vacuuming :) I don't feel my rods, but my bottom curve does ache now and then, I'm supposed to take 1-2 Alleve at bed time, but us nurses are awful patients, so I don't do it regularly.

Speaking as a former patient and now a nurse, Shriner's Hospital/Clinic is absolutely the best place for scoliosis patients under 18! If that's your situation, ask the docs/nurses if they can arrange for a visit/talk with other patients or people who will be involved in your care. Other places may do this too, but I think Shriner's goes above and beyond for their kids.

Answer 2

First question is how old are you, and how many degrees of deviation exist?

Surgery is contra-indicated unless the curve is in excess of 25 degrees.  Do you have one hip that protrudes out to one side more than the other?  Daily pain?  Unable to sit straight?  Chronic constipation?

A better solution is exercise and formation of stronger muscles in the spinal column to help prevent the curvature from getting worse.

Surgery is one solution but one best left as a last resort.  There are consequences and after-effects that need to be discussed with an Orthopedic surgeon, before any decision is made.

This is a life-time condition that tends to get worse as you grow older.  Not good news at all.  However, living with it can be manageable with the proper medical direction.  A Chiropractor can help alleviate the pain, but not cure the disorder, irregardless of what they claim.

You need to see an Ortho doc and discuss your treatment plan, and you will need one as this progresses.

It's not the end of the world, but it is another life's problem to deal with.

Answer 3

It depends on many things.  How old are you?  How much more growing do you have to go?  How many degrees is your curve?  How quickly is your curve increasing?  How much pain are you in?  How often are you in pain?  Is pain easily triggered?  Do you have activities that you can no longer do?  Taken all together, how is your quality of life?

I've posted the following a few times for other people with questions. I hope I'll answer the things that have you concerned.

Scoliosis comes mainly in two flavors - functional (the curve is caused by another issue (uneven leg length for example) and structural.  There are two main kinds of structural scoliosis - congenital (present at birth) and idiopathic (unknown cause).  It is important for you to know what kind you have.

If you have functional scoliosis, a chiropractor may be able to help.  Shoe lifts may help with uneven legs, but there can be many causes of functional scoliosis.  I don't have much experience with functional scoliosis.

If you have structural scoliosis, there's not a lot you can do.  The main treatments depend on how bad the curve is and how much more growth you have to go.  Its not possible to predict how much or how fast a curve may increase.

You need to see a scoliosis specialist if you're not doing that already. A doctor that is not trained as a scoliosis specialist doesn't have the expertise to treat it.

Any curve under 10 degrees is considered normal and probably isn't monitored.

Curves from 10-25 degrees are mild but should be monitored, especially if you're still growing.

Curves from 25-40 degrees are moderate with bracing possible. You will need monitoring, especially if you're still growing.

Surgery may be recommended if your curve doesn't respond to bracing. Bracing will do no good if you're through growing. The purpose of a brace isn't to make your curve better, but rather to keep the curve from becoming worse.

Curves greater than 45 degrees is major. Surgery may be recommended. This depends on many things, but whether you're done growing, whether your curve is increasing, whether your heart and lungs are in danger of being squeezed by your curve, whether you're in pain, quality of life, etc.

If your curve is over 30 degrees, there is a good chance that it will increase even when you're through growing.  (Mine did.)

Unfortunately, nothing can *fix* idiopathic scoliosis. Surgery can keep the curve from getting worse, and in most cases, will reduce the curve but most likely your spine won't be straight (unless you are very flexible in the area to be fused, then you might be lucky).

Chiropractors, message therapists, acupuncturists, etc., can't fix idiopathic scoliosis. These people adjust the soft, connective tissues and that may (or may not, you can't tell ahead of time) make you feel better, but remember, idiopathic scoliosis is not a connective tissue disease. Your spine is growing curved.