This past week I have been interacting with several families with an adolescent with a thoracolumbar curve, and wondering about long-term consequences.  I saw a very nice family from Charlotte, NC in particular who had a lot of excellent questions about potential surgery for their daughter, and have been in ongoing email communication with this girl’s dad as they seek to do what is best for their daughter in the long run.  Pam’s story is one potential track that could hold for patients with adolescent scoliosis, especially with the lower thoracolumbar curve, which have a bigger effect on the lumbar spine with potential collapse and progressive degeneration and pain.  

Over the weekend, I’ve been in email contact with a 33 yo woman from Houston Texas who shared her story of curve progression from the 30’s now into the 40’s with her thoracolumbar curve now after pregnancy, where surgery has been recommended.  In her case, she could get her scoliosis repaired with possible fusion down to L3, sparing the lower lumbar area, realigning the loads on the low back before the bottom discs are badly damaged.  As you can see in Pam’s X-Ray above, I had to fuse across those levels, down to the iliac wing — not the end of the world, but a bigger surgery, and possibly preventable if realigned earlier in life.

Enjoy Pam’s video, and other video’s on the TheHeyClinic YouTube Channel!