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My niece started with a brace in 2003, and on July 27, 2006, she had surgery. Prior to having corrective surgery her curvature was 55°, now it’s less than 10°. She grew two inches during the surgery. One year post op. she was fully recovered and active in sports (see YouTube videos below).
Before and after
2 x 18 inch rods
20 screws
2 hooks
What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side, and may also be rotated. On an x-ray, the spine of an individual with a typical scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line. It is typically classified as congenital (caused by vertebral anomalies present at birth), idiopathic (sub-classified as infantile, juvenile, adolescent, or adult according to when onset occurred) or as having developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as cerebral palsy or spinal muscular atrophy.
Symptoms
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•Uneven musculature on one side of the spine
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•A rib "hump" and/or a prominent shoulder blade, caused by rotation of the ribcage in thoracic scoliosis
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•Uneven hip and shoulder levels
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•Asymmetric size or location of breast in females
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•Unequal distance between arms and body
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•Clothes that do not "hang right", ie. with uneven hemlines
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•Slow nerve action (in some cases)
Prognosis
The prognosis of scoliosis depends on the likelihood of progression. The general rules of progression are that larger curves carry a higher risk of progression than smaller curves, and that thoracic and double primary curves carry a higher risk of progression than single lumbar or thoracolumbar curves. In addition, patients who have not yet reached skeletal maturity have a higher likelihood of progression.
Management
The traditional medical management of scoliosis is complex and is determined by the severity of the curvature, skeletal maturity, which together help predict the likelihood of progression.
The conventional options are:
• Observation
• Bracing - for example the Milwaukee brace
• Surgery
Resource site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoliosis
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