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  • Question about height

    Hi..this is a silly question I am sure but.....does everyone get taller after their surgeries? I would think it is dependent on how severe the curve is. Mine is 62 degrees and I would think I would gain about 2 inches? Does that sound right? For those who did get taller....your gain comes from your torso/abs stretching out and not from your legs. So, do your jeans/pants still fit even though you are taller? Also...has anyone noticed what happens to the abdominal area? I am hoping for some fringe benefits here and the abs appearing tighter!???

    Any insight would be very helpful! Thank you!
    Laura
    62 degrees
    49 yrs. young
    Surgery 3/31/10 with Lenke

    Before and After pics
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/13749126@N06/

  • #2
    Hi--I gained about 1 & 1/2 inches. My curve was pretty severe as you can see below. I suppose it would have been greater but I also had several osteotomies that chips off the uneven tops of vertebrae so they can line up better--I think I explained that right. I always looked like I weighed way more than I did since my torso was literally squished down. It brings you up and straighter so you'll look leaner. Ab muscles will have to be worked on--eventually as you can do more exercises. Yes, I feel & look stretched out now. Many thought I had lost weight. After getting rid of the initial 20 pound swelling gain, I did lose about 15. Unfortunately, it has all returned but I still look slimmer. Janet
    Janet

    61 years old--57 for surgery

    Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
    Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
    Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
    Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
    T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

    All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

    Comment


    • #3
      I went from 5'4 to 5'5.I am really pleased to have a perfect waistline.Looks the same on both sides.Be happy to get this brace off so I can go clothes shopping
      Aug.17,09 Anterior
      Aug.20,09 Posterior
      Fused T-10 to Sacral Pelvis
      Cedars-Sinai
      Dr.Pashman

      Sheri 47 years young
      Husband married 30 years
      3 kids 29,28,25
      4 grandkids 10,8,5,3

      Comment


      • #4
        Janet - what do you mean about the 20 lbs from swelling? Is that normal? I hadn't heard of that! How long does that last?

        Laura
        Laura
        62 degrees
        49 yrs. young
        Surgery 3/31/10 with Lenke

        Before and After pics
        http://www.flickr.com/photos/13749126@N06/

        Comment


        • #5
          Man, I'm 6'9" now with a pretty twisted up spine. I'm guessing I'll be pushing 7 feet after surgery. WOAH.
          Pre-surgery- 80°+ thoracic/ 60°+ lumbar
          Still unsure of post-op numbers
          37 yrs. old, 6'7" ish
          Scoli pics

          Comment


          • #6
            Osmike!

            I gained 2 inches.

            Your jeans won't look much different unless you lose weight on your bum. It's the torso which changes. I didn't recognise myself. I hadn't actually realised I was so squished down, but after surgery, I could see I must have been.

            For me, the cosmetic improvement was secondary. But I'm thrilled with it. My weight is unchanged but I do look taller and slimmer.
            Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
            Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
            T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
            Osteotomies and Laminectomies
            Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

            Comment


            • #7
              Hi there! I had surgery September 30 and my curve was at 59 dsegrees and I gained about 2 inches in height. My torso feels longer and all my clothes fit so much better :} Its weird because I never really felt like I had a strong mid section because of my back being so curvy and now my abs are stronger and straighter :} :} It was very weird but it makes sense because my muscle composition was not even and now it is. My torso will no grow anymore because of the fusion but that doesn't mean my legs and arms can't :}
              Hope that helps!
              Maliha

              Comment


              • #8
                Not everypne gets a large change in height after surgery. My daughter's curve was only 46* at the time of surgery and she only gained 1/2". She was so disappointed! She is only 4' 10 1/2" after surgery, and she was hoping to make it to 5'. She too had osteotomies which took away some of her added height, but it was the best surgical procedure for her.

                Mary Lou
                Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

                Comment


                • #9
                  am wondering whether surgery for thoracic vs/for lumbar adds more height...i would need T11-S1 & L4-sacrum, with "bilateral pelvic fixation"...so i would be having lumbar only (though i do have a 40 degree thoracic curve).....of course, my next nyc surgical consult could decide that needed to be changed...but at my last consult in october, that was pretty much the range of correction needed (which was in agreement with the other 2 surgeons i have seen)....

                  i am going to fly out to see dr anand end of january, to see whether less invasive would be a real possibility for me...every (excellent) nyc doctor i have consulted with has said minimally invasive is not for me...so we shall see what we shall see!

                  hope everyone's holdidays were merry..
                  wishing all a good 2010...

                  jess

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Kid "A" - T58* -> ~5* gained about 1 inch

                    Kid "B" - T57* -> ~0* gained about 1.5 inches

                    Very approximate.
                    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                    No island of sanity.

                    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                    Answer: Medicine


                    "We are all African."

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I gained 1.5 inches. Of course, I had lost 1 inch over the years, but I still ended up taller than I had ever been. (that's a whole 5'3".)
                      __________________________________________
                      Debbe - 50 yrs old

                      Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
                      Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

                      Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
                      Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
                      Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

                      Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
                      Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I gained an inch and a half after surgery -- would have gained more if I hadn't had my lumbar disks removed. More importantly, my waistline went from bunched-up and folded-over on one side to a symmetrical, hourglass shape. My hips are now even for the first time in my adult life. I've been having a great time slowly replacing my old baggy wardrobe with new, form-fitting clothes.
                        Chris
                        A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
                        Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
                        Post-op curve: 12 degrees
                        Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I had lost almost 2 inches before I finally had the surgery. After the surgery I gained back 1.5 inches and I'm pretty happy with that.

                          Like several others, the biggest change I have noticed is the return of my waist line. Because I was so squished in the torso before the surgery I thought I always looked fat even when my weight was okay.

                          My jeans fit a little differently now. I did loose a little weight (on purpose) but I think it is more that my abdomen is flatter because everything is not so squished.

                          Everyone is different. You might ask your doctor what he expects. Mine said he thought I would gain some height but he did not want to predict how much since it depended on how things went when he got in there. After surgery he told me that he was able to get even more correction than he expected.

                          Sheri
                          At age 56 my curves measured: 48/60/30 with lots of rotation and getting worse
                          Posterior fusion T5-L4 June 30, 2009
                          Excellent correction

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            whoops..hope everyone's holidays were merry..i type so fast i mis-spell just from fingers flying....

                            i am trying to envision straightening upper back vs lower back, & still wondering which would add more height...i know i have shrunk 2 inches as i curve more...& the doctors tell me i would probably regain at least an inch & a half, so i'm guessing a body gains height whether thoracic or lumbar is straightened...or maybe it is the mid back that is straightening out...i do know that my waist is exaggerated now on my right side, & nonexistent on my left...i know that would be fixed with surgery...

                            i guess i am waiting to see what dr anand has to say about MY back in particular...i thought minimally invasive could not be done on lumbar problems...especially those that go to pelvis...so it should be really interesting to see what he thinks...

                            wishing everyone a new year that is happy, healthy & pain free...
                            jess

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Well I didnt gain much at all...maybe a 1/2 of an inch and I was fused from l4 to t5...so I dont know if the Lumbar -vs- Thorasic is the determing factor. I was advised that it depends on whether or not a filler was used in between each vertabra during the fusion? Or maybe I had a dream about that? Who knows? All I know is that I got a little bit of my waist line back...Im still alittle crooked but not as bad as been...


                              Anyone else not gain much height after a 12 level fusion?
                              Lynn -30.... something
                              DxD @ 8 yrs old: 10* curve-no brace-no nothin'!
                              At age 26: Thorasic 48*/Lumbar 50*
                              At age 34: Thorasic 58*/Lumbar 60*
                              Posterior T5-L4 Fusion Jan 14th, 2009 w/Dr Tribus
                              UW Madison, WI Hospital
                              **AFTER: less than 10* Thorasic/15* Lumbar**

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