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Pros of having corrective surgery

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  • Pros of having corrective surgery

    Hi there,

    I would like everyone that has had surgery, if they would, please tell me about the benefits of surgery. If it dramatically changed their lives for the better. Did it cause new pain , less pain different pain?
    Were there any trade offs, such as less mobility etc.
    I am new to the idea of possibly having surgery for the first time.
    I have an appt. to see a spine specialist thursday, I just got the results of my scoli study; 30 degree dextroscoliosis of lower thoracic spine and 38 degree levoscoliosis of lumbar spine with left-sided rotation of lumbar vertebrae. Advanced degenerative disc disease at L2-3.
    I don't quite understand when the curve is considered bad enough for surgery, or is it the rotation I need to be concerned about.

    Thanks for any advice or opinions,
    Juliann

  • #2
    I had surgery a year and about 2 months ago.

    The pros I got:
    An amazing correction. My former 52 degree curve that lost me my waist and made my shoulders no less than 2 inches uneven was corrected to something that can hardly be considered scoliosis anymore.

    I'm not pain free. But, I do have more pain free days... Before my surgery, it was always present. Now I get an ache here and there, but am largely comfortable.

    I did have a little tradeoff... While I do have very nice posture from my surgery, it changed the balance of my torso just slight. It makes it hard for me to stay nicely upright when I'm riding my horse.

    I didn't lose much mobility at all. I was only fused to L1, so that's why... The lower the fusion goes, the less you are able to bend normally.....

    As far as surgery... It's really variable. Some surgeons will operate on curves 40 and above. Other won't do it until a curve is up to 50 degrees, and one I talked to won't do it until the curve is nearing 60 degrees! Other things they take into consideration: pain, imbalance, rotation...
    Blair

    Dec 15th, 2003 @ age of 20
    Posterior Fusion and CD Horizon instrumentation T2-L1.
    Surgery by Dr. Herkowitz- Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, Michigan
    Excellent correction of 52 degree single left thoracolumbar curve. Slight curve remains in unfused lumbar region but seems stable.
    February 5, 2005- Failed Scar Revision Surgery
    September 17, 2005- 2nd Failed Scar Revision.

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