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  • Something you should read before surgery

    If you need surgery you need it. This is not to discourage it at all. I would recommend surgery in many cases even mild ones. This is just something perhaps you could bring up with your doctor. Note that many doctors may be resistant not because of the ideas but because few people, including doctors, are interested in going the extra step, when they see no direct benefit to themselves, or they think that what we know now about scoliosis is all that we will ever know and the treatments now are the only ones.


    My Article: Discouraged with the lack progress on scoliosis treatments

    Part 1

    I'm a 26 year old male that was diagnosed with a 20 degree curve in highschool. I don't know if it's progressed or not, but if it has, it hasn't by much. Having lived with this condition it is a subject close to my heart.

    I'm saddened by the lack of developments and treatments for scoliosis. It seems to me that the medical community has been and continues to approach many mild and medium forms of idiopathic scoliosis the wrong way.

    The only mystery about "idiopathic" scoliosis is the specific reason why it initiates or begins. But there are essentially only two things to look at once it has already begun and focusing on one over the other is inappropriate. The areas that need attention are the spine and the muscles around the spine. If a spine is curved it is curved either because the spinal cord has for one reason or another begun to rotate and/or because the muscles around the spine are uneven in strength, thus pulling the spine in abnormal directions.

    One thing to look at is the spine itself. Is the spine strong or weak. Has the spine developed properly except that it has rotated and begun to curve. Are the discs within the spine equal in strength and size. If one can determine that all things are fine except that the spine has begun to rotate, then we must look at another feature of the back that will influence spine curves. And let me just say that there is no such thing as a 'compensatory' curve. If you have a curve in your spine, it is a curve that may weave in and out and so long as the curve exists there is nothing compensatory about it.

    The second area of study should be focused on muscles around the spine. A spine may begin to curve because the spine is weak, but it may only do so if the muscles in the back allow for it. If the muscles in the back are evenly distributed, even a weak back may stay straight. However, if the muscles in the back are stronger on one side over another, it will encourage curvature in a weak spine. Again, there is no such thing as 'compensatory' muscles in a curved spine. The muscles (the shorter, stronger mucles) on each side of the spine that are distributed unevenly are the muscles helping to increase the curve in the spine, not to compensate for it. Compensatory muscle development would be muscles that develop in precisely the same area of the spine opposite to the overzealous muscles on the other side. This does not happen. When the muscles are pulled toward the right on the top portion of the spine, we see increased muscle development in the lower left portion of the spine. What we want to see is increased muslce development on the top left portion of the spine to bring the spine back into alignment. Anything short of this type of muscle development is not compensatory. It is in fact almost gauranteed to increase the spine curve rather than compensate for it. We need studies on the muscles in the backs of scoliosis patients. Are muscles of the spine all created equal or do some have intrinsic properties that make them more aggressive when pulling the spine. Can these muscles be cut away and/or transfered to the areas with weak muscles. Can this muscle be encouraged to grow in sections that lack it to begin to truly compensate a curve. We know that in people with oversized hearts (the heart is a muscle) that doctors can literally cut off chunks of the heart and bring it down to size, and the heart remains in tact and functioning optimally. Perhaps the same can be done for much less potentially fatal muscles such as those of the spine.

    I think the relationship of muscles and the spine in scoliosis patients was best described by somebody else who's article I read some years ago:

    To think about it logically, I compare my spine to a tent pole and my muscles to tethers around the tent pole helping it to stay upright. If I had a tethered tent pole that was leaning to one side and I wanted to straighten it, I would pull tighter on some of the tethers and loosen up on others. If I applied equal force to all of the tethers on a pole that was unbalanced to start out, it would remain unbalanced. It was the same with my body. I had to loosen up the tight muscles (tethers) and tighten up the weak muscles (tethers) supporting my spine (my center pole).

    In order to straighten out my body, I had to start thinking about it like an engineer would think about straightening a tilting column. The prevailing medical view about scoliosis seems to be that it is caused by some mysterious, as of yet undiscovered gene. Besides being unproven, I don't think this view takes into account gravity and the laws of physics. People's spinal columns are not exempt from the same laws of physics as other columns.

    In thinking about my scoliosis from an engineering point of view, the first thing I did was to make make sure my spine (the column) itself was strong and stable. I think the reason there is such a strong link between osteopenia/osteoporosis and scoliosis is simply that weakened columns have more of a problem staying upright. A spine with lowered bone densities is probably less likely to be able to support its weight and stay upright, and hence will bend, buckle and curve as it tries to bear weight. This is exactly why people with rickets get scoliosis.

    Another area to think about is that any small pull or unbalanced force placed on a column over a period of time is going to pull the column off center.
    To summarize the following points thus far, there are two areas of idiopathic scoliosis that we can say influence spinal curvature. The spine and the muscles around the spine. If the bones of the spine have developed properly (there are no malformed vertebrea) but the spine has begun to twist, we can conclude that it has to do with either the spine strength or the muscles around the spine. Additionally we have to re-orient the ways that we describe the curves and muscles we see in scoliosis patients. By saying compensatory this and compensatory that we give the impression that the spine is trying to self correct the problem. It is not. It is furthering the problem. Intervention needs to correct the problem.

    Now on to treatments of medium and mild idiopathic scloliosis. It seems to me that it is in the treatments that we see the lack of focus on the two essential elements of spinal curves that I outlined above. For example, scoliosis surgery appears to always only focus on the spine without any regard for the muscles around the spine. We fuse sections of the spine together, or we brace sections of the spine using rods, and so forth. While this is fine, we could also try working with the muscles around the spine. If muscles are much shorter on on side and/or stronger on one side of a curved spine, why not remove some of it or extend it - stretch it - or attempt to attach it to the alternate side of the spine. Removing some of this over grown muscle tissue may give the spine the mobility that it needs to shift it's way back into normal alignment. While there may be difficulty in manipulating muscles around the spine, I believe that it is essential to 'curing' or correcting scoliosis. Even if a brace could theoretically straighten the spine when it's being worn, the spine would resort back to the curved state once the brace was removed because nothing has been done to the back muscles. The back muscles are still disproportionate and one you remove the brace keeping the spine aligned, the muscles would begin to twist and pull it out of alignment again. Therefore braces are only a temporary fixture. A brace cannot and will not correct the curve and it cannot and will not stop curve progression. Why have doctors in this area not been able to reach this conclusion by simple observation and common sense thinking, I do not know.

    Yoga and other excercises may be fine because they ensure that the back remains mobile and elastic however, they will never cure or help the actual scoliosis. Weight lifting, using specific weight training as to work out under developed spine muscles instead of already over zealous spine muscles can also help. However, scoliosis requires very specific focus on spine muscles. When you work out or do yoga, you are working out multiple muscles even when you want to work out only a handful. Most importantly with weight lifting, one must be careful that they understand the excercise they are doing is combating rather than aggravating the scoliosis by strengthening the already over bearing muscles. Because of the nature of scoliosis, all excercises that a person can do must be assisted by surgery that can reduce the uneven distribution of muscle tissue and slowly allow the spine to regain it's natural vertical shape.

  • #2
    Part 2

    Things like sleep patterns, sports bags, and daily physical routines must also be taken into consideration. When I was younger, I would always sleep with my body in a certain configuration. It felt comfortable this way, and incidentally, my spine developed a curve that is reminiscient of the configuration my body had when I slept. Did my sleeping pattern cause the scoliosis or did I feel more comfortable sleeping this way because I already had developed scoliosis all those years ago and didn't know it? I don't know, however in the years after I found out, I begin sleeping in the opposite configuration. One spends many hours of their lives sleeping so trying to 'correct' or brace the curve naturally this way is something I've tried. To this day I know it would be more comfortable resorting back to the previous configuration.

    I also used to carry sports bags with one strap so that the weight was unequally distributed across my back. I would suggest using a normal double strapped bag. I also began working out in 8th grade, probably too young because the spine is still developing. Any mistakes or overworked back muscles that are not noticeable at that stage may be magnified over time in the form of scoliosis. The same goes for activities such as basketball where you essentially use one half of your body differently repeatedly over the other half. When you throw the basketball using proper form, you're excercising your throwing arm more than your aiming arm and this repeated action may also mean that you're developing certain back muscles more than others.

    In short, compensatory behavior is recommended. If you're used to sleeping in a specific way, sleep the opposite way. If you carry your wallet in one back pocket begin carrying it in the other. If you open doors with one hand, begin to always use the other instead to open doors. We could probably learn much from people who can write and play sports using both hands by studying their muscle development.

    To summarize all points made, we have to begin taking the mystery out of most idiopathic scoliosis conditions. Common sense will tell us that a curved spine is that way because of the spine or the spine muscles and most likely an interaction between the two. Therefore any corrective effort should and must effectively take into consideration both in order to find an everlasting solution. Our piece meal approach that too often focuses on one over the other, or over emphasizes ineffective solutions such as yoga, have led the medical community to an impasse and there will be no breakthrough until these lines of thinking are dramatically changed. Perhaps it will take more peole suffering from the condition to propose these different approaches because living with it gives one intimate knowledge about it. If we continue to tread the current path, you and your children (who may be prone to mild scoliosis) will continue to suffer life long discomfort and even pain without any hope for solution.

    Comment


    • #3
      Shaun,
      OK.....so are you selling something?
      SandyC

      Comment


      • #4
        This seems more appropriate for the non-surgical forum.

        --Linda
        Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
        Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

        Comment


        • #5
          No not selling anything... just offering advice and hopefully a thought provoking discussion for those that share my condition. I was thinking some of this stuff is something you could take up with your doctor. Alternate ways of thinking about surgery and the surgery that doctors can investigate regarding scoliosis. As I said in my post, focusing on the spine AND the muscles would be a much more effective solution than just the bones. I think it's worthwhile for somebody in the medical community to research it. Your doctor may pass it off as saying it's too difficult or give other excuses right at the start because many people are not interested in thinking outside of the box.

          Do you not find it frightening that after some 5 decades of research on scoliosis that we still are in the dark about how to fix it? We're just using the same old methods that have proven ineffective for the past 50 years. I want to see change and progress in this field. Scoliosis effects 1 out of ever 100 girls and 1 out of every 200 boys so I understand if the medical community feels the numbers are so small it's not a priority but when you're living with this condition it's the pits.

          Being somebody that suffers from scoliosis, I think it's important that I offer to anybody that wants to listen, especially medical researchers, my thoughts and feelings about scoliosis. Perhaps we are the ones that can give a doctor who doesn't suffer from it that bit of insight he or she needs to make that medical breakthrough.

          Clearly all of our current methods seem to fall short with the exception of fusing bones together which limit mobility. If we want to make headway in the area of scoliosis treatments we need to propose different ideas. That's the sole purpose of my post. Because I would love to be able to cure my condition. Right now I know that I will live my entire life in discomfort.

          I think the topic is good for basically all forums but there is no all encompassing forum on this board.
          Last edited by Shaun26; 06-26-2005, 02:31 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            treatment of scoliosis

            Shaun:

            I do not know your professional background. There has been lots of painstaking research on the baffling problem of scoliosis. Not only the idiopathic kind but other causes such as neurological, traumatic, congenital and the kind resulting from polio. This is an incomplete list of causes.

            Various things have been tried before the era of surgery including traction, exercise, chiropractic and casts. Believe me-greater minds than ours have been wresting with this problem for decades. It's permanent correction needed not short-term. So far the only successful PERMANENT correction involves bracing in skeletally immature people or spinal surgery. Those are the hard facts.

            As a medical professional -the idea of shifting muscles around would involve a lot more trauma to the body because more nerves would be cut than just for the spinal fusion. Moving the spine automatically takes the muscles with them.

            I gave some links on another thread.

            Just go to the National Library of Medicine on-line:

            http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed

            and see the publications from around the world regarding scoliosis. Just type "scoliosis" in the search window.
            Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
            Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Karen Ocker
              Shaun:

              I do not know your professional background. There has been lots of painstaking research on the baffling problem of scoliosis. Not only the idiopathic kind but other causes such as neurological, traumatic, congenital and the kind resulting from polio. This is an incomplete list of causes.

              Various things have been tried before the era of surgery including traction, exercise, chiropractic and casts. Believe me-greater minds than ours have been wresting with this problem for decades. It's permanent correction needed not short-term. So far the only successful PERMANENT correction involves bracing in skeletally immature people or spinal surgery. Those are the hard facts.

              As a medical professional -the idea of shifting muscles around would involve a lot more trauma to the body because more nerves would be cut than just for the spinal fusion. Moving the spine automatically takes the muscles with them.

              I gave some links on another thread.

              Just go to the National Library of Medicine on-line:

              http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed

              and see the publications from around the world regarding scoliosis. Just type "scoliosis" in the search window.
              Hi Karen,

              Thanks for your feedback. I disagree with some points. I don't think that greater minds than us have tackled the problem. Doctors are not necessarily of greater mind than you or me. They went to school, memorized treatments, and work at a job. Most of them do their job like you and me. They do what a book says and then they go home and forget about their work day until tomorrow. It takes the exception, an exceptional person be it a doctor or otherwise, to take a different stance and observe something in a different light. There are examples of this throughout medical history.

              All of the various treatments that I've ever read about deal with treatments that I could tell you as a layman could never work. Chiropractics is a sham and nothing more than an overrated massage. Massage relaxes tense muscles but cannot do anything to reverse curved spines. Excercise cannot by itself effectively combat scoliosis because every movement you make involves numerous muscles. If you're excercising, you will not only be excercising weakened muscles, but you will also be excercising the muscles that are already too strong, and you don't want to do that. Casts, like braces, are not a cure nor a correction. A cast or brace is only a 'place holder' for lack of a better term. Unless it's worn ever second of every day, every year for the rest of ones life AFTER the first signs of scoliosis appear, it can never work. If the spine is already twisted and a brace holds it from becoming more twisted, it's doing nothing to 'untwist' the already curved spine. It's also not doing anything about the muscles that have twisted the spine in the first place which explains why the condition almost always continues to worsen after the brace has been removed.

              All of these so called treatments are like alternative drugs. They're ineffective, obtuse, and rudimentary, if not medieval.

              I agree that spinal surgery is the answer. What I'm saying is that spinal surgery need not only focus on the spinal bones. It should also take into account the muscles, tendons, ligaments, around the spine. Removing some tissue or stretching it out may very well cause trauma. All surgery does, however for mild forms of scoliosis I see this as a practical and intuitive approach. A skeleton cannot move on it's own. Assuming the bones in the spine are normally formed, the only thing that allows it to move are the surrounding tissues. Therefore we must place emphasis on these tissues if we are to ever find a realistic cure.

              This type of basic, fundamental thinking is lacking in scoliosis research. Note that I'm only focusing on mild and medium forms of scoliosis in people who are otherwise healthy. Muscles are healthy, bones are healthy, but for some undetermined reason, they developed scoliosis. Things become more complex if other conditions co-exist with the scoliosis.
              Last edited by Shaun26; 06-26-2005, 04:22 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Shaun26
                What I'm saying is that spinal surgery need not only focus on the spinal bones. It should also take into account the muscles, tendons, ligaments, around the spine. Removing some tissue or stretching it out may very well cause trauma. All surgery does, however for mild forms of scoliosis I see this as a practical and intuitive approach. A skeleton cannot move on it's own. Assuming the bones in the spine are normally formed, the only thing that allows it to move are the surrounding tissues. Therefore we must place emphasis on these tissues if we are to ever find a realistic cure.
                The vertebrae in a scoliotic spine are wedge shaped. So, surgery to the soft tissue might temporarily reduce a curve, but the spine is always going to try to curve again.

                --Linda
                Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by LindaRacine
                  The vertebrae in a scoliotic spine are wedge shaped. So, surgery to the soft tissue might temporarily reduce a curve, but the spine is always going to try to curve again.

                  --Linda
                  Hi Linda,

                  This is true for some scoliotic spines and for those instances I was conclude that the cause of the scoliosis is not idiopathic at all. I would say that the scoliosis is a direct result of a spine that encourages it because of the shape of the vertebrae in the spine is abnormally formed. This may or may not run in families and just like other conditions that run in families without a known reason, we could accept and live with it, and run tests on it in schools to find those at risk and correct the problem in it's infancy.

                  Even in your example, we are at a 'we can't do anything' phase when things can be tried. We create new heart valves for people, new colons. Perhaps we could create sythentic vertebrae to either replace or attached to a malformed vertebrae so that it's more normally shaped and discourages the back from ever going back to it's previously twisted form. This in conjunction with surgery on the muscles causing the problem could lead to very positive results.

                  Not all scoliosis is created equal. I don't think that the bones in my spinal curve of 20 degrees are wedge shaped. They're shaped just fine but the muscles around the section that is curved is dramatically shorter, stiffer, and larger on that one side. Thus, it's no surprise to me that my spine has shifted in it's direction. Therefore, reducing or cutting away at this tissue would not only provide relief but may also help to cure the problem.
                  Last edited by Shaun26; 06-26-2005, 04:30 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Shaun...

                    In all cases of structural scoliosis, the vertebrae are wedge shaped. If you, or anyone else on this forum have functional scoliosis, you don't need surgery (be it on bone or soft tissue). A few visits to a good physical therapist should do the trick.

                    --Linda
                    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi Linda,

                      Thanks very much. I may try that again, though I've been to physical therapists before with little success. Perhaps I need one that deals specifically with scoliosis. Not sure how hard or easy it is to fine such a therapist. However, therapy in my experience is a lot like excercise and massages and can do very little to alleviate long term discomfort associated with scoliosis. It think we do ourselves a disservice when we content ourselves with treatments that are only a temporary feel good rather than helping to solve the underlying problem. It leads to a life of dependancy, lots of expenses, and eventual degeneration because the problem is never actually solved.

                      I believe that regardless of the therapy, unless the curve is straightened I will always suffer discomfort. The fact that the spinal column is not straight inherently means there is unnatural added pressure on areas of the spine and less on others. Even 80% of people with 'normal' spines experience back pain in their lives so having an degenerative condition that places extensive pressure on areas of the spine will increase that number probably into the 99% range. I frequently read articles regarding scoliosis and they say it rarely causes pain or discomfort when it's less than 30 degrees. My experience and the experiences that I read from other people on forums from people that actually have the condition seems to be quite different. It seems to me that almost everybody with a curved spine experiences continuous discomfort.

                      The only cure is to straighten the back and I certainly don't want to stop at solving my own problem. I'd like to see advances in all types of scoliosis treatments. I think focusing on scoliosis in otherwise 'healthy' patients is the first step. If something can be done in this area, naturally we will have a better understanding of scoliosis and help those who suffer multiple conditions including scoliosis.

                      I think that research would best be served in areas of regenerating, replacing, or adding structure to mal formed vertebrea, and the padding tissues between the vertebrae as well as studies on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other things surrounding the spinal column in scoliosis patients. Perhaps scoliosis patients have two types of muscles in their back... one that is normal or begins to atrophy while another experiences hyper growth. Perhaps one side of the muscle tissue ofthe back is more dense than the other. The same goes for the cushions within the spine.

                      Until we get down to the finest details in these areas we will never understand scoliosis or alternate remedial or corrective measures. My intuitions tells me the answers to huge normal bones in somebody's back becoming twisted is the direct product of the muscle buildup surrounding it. There are only so many things in the back that can be responsible for it.

                      My spine is only bent 20 degrees, barely noticeable, yet it's problematic for me. I can't imagine what life must be like for people with larger curves. Something needs to be done and when I say this I mean more than discussions back and forth about what brace one uses. I mean real solutions, different solutions than those we already use. Because out of all of them only surgery by fusing bones together has proven successful. We're treading old tired ground. We need new procedures, new discussions, new techniques.
                      Last edited by Shaun26; 06-26-2005, 06:17 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Shaun,
                        Yes, scoli can be frightening. but so is MS/Parkinson's/Transverse Mylitis and a host of other long term conditions/diseases that science has no answer for. For all of these, moving muscle may help, TEMPORAILY, but does not cure the disease process or in the case of scoli...bone deformity.

                        Frustration/anger and wanting an "easy fix", just anything to avoid surgery, make all of us vulnerable to claims of all kinds. It can also make us see what we want to see....which is not necessarly the reality.
                        SandyC

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by SandyC
                          Shaun,
                          Yes, scoli can be frightening. but so is MS/Parkinson's/Transverse Mylitis and a host of other long term conditions/diseases that science has no answer for. For all of these, moving muscle may help, TEMPORAILY, but does not cure the disease process or in the case of scoli...bone deformity.

                          Frustration/anger and wanting an "easy fix", just anything to avoid surgery, make all of us vulnerable to claims of all kinds. It can also make us see what we want to see....which is not necessarly the reality.
                          I actually want to undergo surgery but I'm always advised against it because my form of scoliosis is mild and I'm a healthy young man. Nobody wants to see me go through complications, death, and partial spinal immobility because I'm young, strong, and was athletic (it's been years since I've played sports... highschool was a long time ago). I don't want any of those things either but I also don't want the constant discomfort, the constant need for stretches, the stiffness.

                          What I've suggested above is no easy fix. I've suggested surgery as we do it now and newer forms of surgery currently not done. I've also suggested complete lifestyle changes... that in themselves can never cure the problem but may realistically slow down the process of mild scoliosis. I've recommended rather advanced research into areas of the spine that seem to have be the most obvious yet locatios to study yet they appear to be the most overlooked. Muscles of the back are extremely important and must be researched to determine why they become unevenly distributed. The muscles allow us to move, walk, get up, sit down, everything.

                          I've disregarded all the easy fixes... massages, therapy, chirpractics, excercise are not solutions.

                          There are many diseases and conditions for which there is no answer but there are also many that we have found answers and cures to. We have to start somewhere. As somebody who suffers from scoliosis I selfishly put scoliosis at the top of my priority list. Let's try to cure it.
                          Last edited by Shaun26; 06-26-2005, 06:16 PM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Good for you Shaun ! I think this world needs more people like you.



                            Celia

                            Canadian eh
                            Daughter, Deirdre born Oct 2000. Diagnosed with 60 degree curve at the age of 19 months. Serial casting by Dr. Hedden at Sick Kid's Hospital. Currently being treated by Dr. Rivard and Dr. Coillard in Montreal with the Spinecor brace and curve is holding at "2" degrees. Next appointment 2008

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              for Shaun

                              Your statement:
                              "I'm a 26 year old male that was diagnosed with a 20 degree curve in high school. I don't know if it's progressed or not, but if it has, it hasn't by much."

                              Shaun: The only way to know whether your curve has progressed since high school is to have it measured by an adult scoliosis specialist. Most curves do not show until they are significant. Some adult curves can increase 1-3 degrees a year; many do not.

                              A 20 deg curve should not cause pain. Pain is caused when the increasing curves squeeze the spinal nerves between the curving vertebrae. Spinal nerves branch out between each and every vertebra.

                              Many of us, including myself, have been to hell and back with our spines. I have difficulty agreeing with or even taking someone seriously who gives advice posting dubious web sites who has not "walked the walk".

                              No matter what the cause of scoliosis we here who have it need to deal with it today. I do not find speculating about causes possible treatments helpful. I
                              suggest contacting some scoliosis researchers and offer to help in any way.


                              Being a medical professional myself I respectfully disagree take issue with your assessment of doctors/researchers. This has not been my personal life experience.

                              Karen
                              Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
                              Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

                              Comment

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