Every year, the National Scoliosis Foundation receives queries about rib thoracoplasty, a surgical technique sometimes used to help patients with scoliosis who also suffer from a “rib hump”. To find out more about the procedure, NSF asked Dr. Serena S. Hu, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, to respond to a number of questions. What follows are excerpts of her responses, which have been edited by Nancy Schommer, author of Stopping Scoliosis.
Because the National Scoliosis Foundation receives constant inquiries from individuals asking whether pain is a symptom of idiopathic scoliosis, we interviewed Dr. Robert Winter, internationally know for work in surgical and non-surgical treatment of spine deformity. Dr. Winter is the author of numerous textbooks, papers, and chapters of surgical textbooks. He is a frequent speaker at national and international orthopaedics conferences. He is also a founding member and past president of the Scoliosis Research Society, President of the Minnesota Spine Center, Chief of Spine Service at Gillette Children’s Hospital, and Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota.
For the person anticipating scoliosis surgery, it is confusing and sometimes troubling to learn of the wide variety of instrumentation systems that are in use today. Why, the patient wonders, are there so many? How are they different? Which one is best? That last question is the easiest to answer. The fact is there is no one “best” instrumentation for every patient or for every physician. In planning the surgery, the physician takes a number of factors into account: the location and magnitude of the curve, the degree of rotation, the extent of deformity of the individual vertebrae, the rigidity or flexibility of the spine, the density of the bone, and the size of the patient. In addition, the physician may have a personal preference and skill for working with one instrumentation or another.
Continue reading Instrumentation Systems for Scoliosis Surgery
Many adults with scoliosis, including those with prior corrective surgery, are curious about the risks and benefits of exercises and sports participation. In our experiences, most adults with scoliosis have never held discussions with medical professionals about these issues. Research based information about therapeutic or recreational exercise for adults with scoliosis is lacking. The advice expressed in this article will therefore reflect experiences described to us by our patients with scoliosis, and our recommendations to these patients.
The word “chiropractic” is a compilation of two Greek words which are interpreted to mean “efficient hands”. In 1898 David Daniel Palmer, the originator of chiropractic, set up the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Today, there are fifteen accredited institutions and programs in the US offering the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree.
Following is an explanation of the nature, practice, and basic theories of chiropractic as defined by the Council of Chiropractic Education, and the Massachusetts Chiropractic Society.
by Nancy Schommer, author of Stopping Scoliosis
Because so many adults have contacted the NSF, we asked Nancy Schommer, author of Stopping Scoliosis, to provide us with an update about adult scoliosis. In the course of her research, she interviewed Dr. David B. Levine, Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Cornell University Medical College and Director of Orthopedic Surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Following are excerpts from their conversation.
