So Confused

[felix999]

I have just come back from my surgeon. I was visiting him for pain that is in my hip. He now has to send me for MRI and says that it is not related to my back and is a seperate issue which may need to be operated on. But with regards to my back I have posted here before and had a 57 degree post op curve with harrington rods 12 years ago. He measured it today at 66. He said this is not unusal but I said when is this going to stop, he said he didnt know but wouldnt expect it to go any futher. He said he can operate and starighten it but it would be a big operation with a 1 in 400 chance of being paralyzed, he wouldnt reccomend it but would do it.
What do other people here think, have ye being given those odds yet gone ahead with surgery?

Thanks
Amanda

[CHRIS WBS]

If I were you, unless your surgeon perofrms revison surgery, I would seek opinions from a couple of top revision specialists.

Chris

[Karen Ocker]

Amanda:
I agree with Chris. This guy does not seem knowledgeable enough. Progressing curves in adulthood do NOT stop on their own.
By the way, hip pain can be referred pain from the spine-- referred meaning the pain comes from another area than where the pain is felt. For example: sciatica is often pain going down the leg even though there is nothing wrong with the leg. This pain can come from the spine.

[SandyC]

Amanda,
I also agree with Chris and Karen, your doc really doesn't sound qualified to advise you about your scoli. I also had the old Harringtons, and it is a most definant yes to a curve getting worse. I also had my Harrington removed and had an A/P done at age 54.

There is a list on this site of qualified Orth's that do scoli surgery on adults

[felix999]

Thank U all for your repsonses. I am seeing another surgeon a Dr.Sean Molloy because the surgeon I went to see said I should get a second opinion and not just believe him. I also suggested going to a clinic that teaches the Katharina Schroth method. This is suppose to help with the size of your curve and stop any futher progression. I would like to try this first before I go for any other surgery. He said there is not scientific evidence that it works and will not correct the curve. But I know I will never have a straight back but would be happy if I could correct it the few degrees it has moved and maintain that. The other surgeon Sean Molloy is involved in a study with this clinic and he thinks it is good.
Hopefully MRI will show what is wrong with my hip and they can do something about that cause that is the only pain I have and would be great if that was fixed.

Amanda

[nzgirl]

Be careful with the Katarina Schroth method, unless you are adament that you don't want surgery. It's expensive, and there is no solid scientific evidence that it works. However, it is an exercise program that can reduce your pain. There is no evidence that you can reduce the size of your curve with exercises, other than a handfull of anecdotal reports from people who have attended these clinics.

I am saying this because I was in a similar position to you having had previous surgery and my curve progressing. But I researched the evidence on whether exercise would stop my curve progression, and the answer was a 'maybe' but probably not. If you are keen to try it, look at your past exercise routines and how long you have stuck with them. This is probably a good predictor of how well you can adhere to a regime of 30min a day for the rest of your life. I chose surgery, and plan to follow that up with an exercise program. At least I can have something that is scientifically proven to stop curve progression (my first surgery was unsuccessful due to not being able to go up high enough, that's all, not because of the surgery itself). You have to make the choice that is right for you, based on the evidence. It is a really difficult decision, and it terrified me. Getting a second opinion is an excellent idea, and talk to the experts on scoliosis about the exercise. The reason I am saying this is because I have just listened to a podcast from BBC (womens health) on surgery vs the katarina method, and the specialist said that there is no evidence to support it, but at least it isn't harmful and there are benefits in terms of pain reduction and respiritory function.
Best wishes!

[Writer]

I'm afraid that the oft-repeated statement that there is no scientific evidence that physical therapy can work for scoliosis is false. I'm glad Amanda sought another opinion -- smart lady. If you ask a doctor if he personally has read solid scientific evidence for that statement, he probably can't do it.

I've referred several times in other posts to Dr Martha Hawes' book Scoliosis and the Human Spine, which the NSF sells at the Store on this website. Hawes read myriad clinical research articles and found that research referred to in the literature as denying efficacy of exercise either makes no such claim or does not support the claim. The statement is an unsupported myth.

The statement that there's no scientific evidence of efficacy for Schroth is also false. Search on "Schroth scoliosis" at PubMed. I'm sure the "specialist" on the BBC didn't do that search. He was repeating the myth.

Sorry to be so blunt, but everybody on this board, especially those in pain like Amanda, is looking for information they can trust. I'm also sorry that these statements may offend some on this board. But if they object, I would like to see scientific evidence for the objection, and I suspect that impartial parties would as well.

Amanda, which clinic is Dr. Molloy working with? It's great that he is intellectually curious enough to try a new approach and do a study. Let us know about it when there are some results. It would be desirable for you to get a physiotherapist's opinion of your posture, apart from the X-rays and all, since Schroth therapists in particular will almost certainly see things that a physician may overlook, and that they can fix at least partly. It's a matter of their different training and outlook. You should not have to live with pain -- Schroth therapists can normally help with that aspect as well as others, post-op or not.