Scoliosis Surgery
Spinal Fusion for Scoliosis
There are different types of scoliosis surgery. Spinal fusion is the most common type of operation which connects the vertebrae in your spine using metal rods and screws to fuse them together.
Spinal fusion is typically done in one of two ways:
– Posterior fusion: where the rods are attached to your spine directly from behind. This is the most common and widely used approach.
– Anterior fusion: where the rods are attached to your spine from the side of your trunk.
Both procedures have the goal of aligning the spine and holding it in position. Like any surgery, complications may occur. Scoliosis surgery is considered a treatment of last resort.
To find out if non-surgical treatment is the right option for you or your child’s case, contact us for an opinion.
Pre and Post Operative Scoliosis Surgery Treatment
In cases where scoliosis surgery is unavoidable, pre-surgical treatment may be advised. Scoliosis specific rehabilitation, such as ScoliBalance, can play a role in making the spine more flexible prior to surgery and post-surgically help strengthen the supportive muscles of the spine. In some cases, surgery may not have the desired effect on trunk posture and occasionally patients can be left with a lean to one side. In severe cases, a combination of a ScoliBrace and rehabilitation may be required to balance the posture.
On occasion, patients develop problems many years after surgery including back pain, worsening of the curves above and below the surgery and a deterioration of the posture. In these cases, scoliosis specific rehabilitation and/or bracing may be used as treatments.
Avoiding surgery
In some cases, surgery may be avoided. In smaller curves, scoliosis specific exercise programs such as ScoliBalance have been shown to stop curves from getting worse. In larger curves, ScoliBrace scoliosis bracing has been shown to be effective in helping many patients to avoid surgery. There are still some cases where scoliosis surgery may be the best option – usually highly progressive cases or if non-surgical approaches are not working. In these cases, the ScoliCare team will refer you to a spinal surgeon.
