T48 is it nessasary to have surgery?

[cherrylips]

Hi all, Just wondering whether is it nessasary to have spinal fusion when my curves are at T48 and L28 degress?? Im 19 years old..The doctor said it had gone worse and would probably need surgery.. My curve progressed 8 degress in 3 years..Will it get worse when im older??


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19 years old, Malaysia
T38, L28 (2007)
T48, L28 (2010)
Double curve

[hdugger]

There's no way of saying, unfortunately. The difference between your two xray numbers is close to the range of errors of xrays (that is, even if the curve hadn't changed at all, you could have two xrays 10 degrees apart).

The official word we often hear is that curves "over 50 degrees" have a chance of progressing in adulthood, but I've seen people on this board with smaller curves that progress, and other people with larger curves that don't progress.

My best advice is to monitor the curve. I have a son with a largish (50 something degree) curve who's 23, and we're just monitoring at this point to see if it stabilizes or increases.

Best of luck with your decision

[buckeye95]

I am 39 years old. My back was in the 40 degree range when I was 19-20 years old. I had x-rays done periodically, and my curve continued to grow 1-2 degrees every couple of years. Over the past three years it has gone up 15 degrees. I am now at a 60 degree curve. I have a sister that also wore a brace as a teenager for scoliosis, and her curve has maintained.

I found a book recently called The Scoliosis Self Help Resource Book...it promotes chiropractics...as well as healthy diet..etc...I have not read the whole book, but think there are some practical things you can to try to keep your curve from getting worse...exercise, good diet...which you may already be doing.

I will probably be having surgery in the next couple of months, as my back hurts daily...and with the rate of the recent progression, it is inevitable.

Best of luck to you.
buckeye95

[LindaRacine]

Hi...

I think it would be worthwhile to watch for another 2-3 years to see if progression continues at the same level. If it does, you're probably going to be headed to surgery sooner or later. If it slows, it's entirely possible that you can avoid surgery altogether.

Regards,
Linda

[heartland]

Again it is hard to say for sure are you having problems doing normal activities?
curves "normally" progress at around 1-2 degrees a year [mine 10* in 8mos.]
normally the only time good surgeons will recommend surgery is when it interferes with breathing/other daily activities