Surgery 1982 vs. 2007 style
Hello,
I had my surgery in 1982. My rod goes from between my shoulder blades down to the lumbar region, had to wear a cast for 9 months, bone fusions, the whole 9 yards. At the time the Harringtons were all the rage here in Houston with Scoliosis Associates. They must have done about 25 Million Harrington rod surgerys during that time in the early to mid 80's (okay not THAT many). Now the partners have retired, (I'm certainly not advocating it, but I believe there were a few lawsuits nationwide involving screws and rods not being FDA approved, etc.) so perhaps they got out while the getting was good! My surgery was a success, I am very active, and I had no trouble with my rods or back for 20+ years, thank God!
My little half sister, who had mainly swayback and kyphosis, just had her surgery in June done by Dr. Hanson with Baylor here in Houston, mainly on her upper and mid back. She got the screws, mini rods, (not the Harrington), and no cast or brace. She is doing well, looks and feels great, got good correction (shoulders are going back for the first time since her early teens). She is very thankful as well.
I have recently had a lot of pain in the past 3-4 years, especially in the early mornings while sleeping (trying to anyways!). This seems to be a common theme with most of the Harrington recipients. I am considering re-surgery to add more curve back into my back which has flattened out several degrees from the side view, and maybe ditch the rods. I still have great lateral correction, I run, swim, and am very active. I am toying with my options, but am leaning towards a "wait and see" what happens with a good chiropractor, masseuse, hot tub, pool, and gym. Dr. Hanson does this corrective surgery, but I'm a little worried about adding even more hardware to my spinal area and even especially about cutting out some bone. I have also been toying with having the rods removed as I suspect they are the culprit with the back flattening further. Any suggestions?
Hello,
I had my surgery in 1982. My rod goes from between my shoulder blades down to the lumbar region, had to wear a cast for 9 months, bone fusions, the whole 9 yards. At the time the Harringtons were all the rage here in Houston with Scoliosis Associates. They must have done about 25 Million Harrington rod surgerys during that time in the early to mid 80's (okay not THAT many). Now the partners have retired, (I'm certainly not advocating it, but I believe there were a few lawsuits nationwide involving screws and rods not being FDA approved, etc.) so perhaps they got out while the getting was good! My surgery was a success, I am very active, and I had no trouble with my rods or back for 20+ years, thank God!
My little half sister, who had mainly swayback and kyphosis, just had her surgery in June done by Dr. Hanson with Baylor here in Houston, mainly on her upper and mid back. She got the screws, mini rods, (not the Harrington), and no cast or brace. She is doing well, looks and feels great, got good correction (shoulders are going back for the first time since her early teens). She is very thankful as well.
I have recently had a lot of pain in the past 3-4 years, especially in the early mornings while sleeping (trying to anyways!). This seems to be a common theme with most of the Harrington recipients. I am considering re-surgery to add more curve back into my back which has flattened out several degrees from the side view, and maybe ditch the rods. I still have great lateral correction, I run, swim, and am very active. I am toying with my options, but am leaning towards a "wait and see" what happens with a good chiropractor, masseuse, hot tub, pool, and gym. Dr. Hanson does this corrective surgery, but I'm a little worried about adding even more hardware to my spinal area and even especially about cutting out some bone. I have also been toying with having the rods removed as I suspect they are the culprit with the back flattening further. Any suggestions?
Comment