Treating Scoliosis Using Minimally Invasive Procedures

Scoliosis (picture to the right) is traditionally treated with open back surgery but, in many cases, we can use our sophisticated mapping techniques to pinpoint precisely where the spine curvature is causing the problem and correct it using minimally invasive procedures.

Using a 12 or 15 mm incision and a state-of-the-art X-Ray machine, we can insert screws from the outside, avoiding metal rods and open back surgery altogether. And because we do not use expandable retractors, like many others who claim to do minimally invasive surgery, we avoid cutting muscle altogether, so you can get back to life as quickly as possible.

Definition:
Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. If your child has scoliosis, the view from behind may reveal one or more abnormal curves.

Scoliosis runs in families, but doctors often don’t know the cause. More girls than boys have severe scoliosis. Adult scoliosis may be a worsening of a condition that began in childhood, but wasn’t diagnosed or treated. In other cases, scoliosis may result from a degenerative joint condition in the spine.

The spine is an elegant structure. From the side it takes the form of an elongated S, the upper back bowing outward and the lower back curving slightly inward. Viewed from behind, though, the spine should appear as a straight line from the base of the neck to the tailbone. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine.

Symptoms:

• Uneven shoulders
• One shoulder blade that appears more prominent than the other
• Uneven waist
• One hip higher than the other
• Leaning to one side
• Fatigue

If a scoliosis curve gets worse, the spine will also rotate or twist, in addition to curving side to side. This causes the ribs on one side of the body to stick out farther than on the other side. Severe scoliosis can cause back pain and difficulty breathing.

If you are interested in learning how minimally invasive procedures could be used to treat scoliosis, contact us.

Tags: Back Pain, back posture, Laser Spine Surgery, Medical Questions, minimally invasive procedure, Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, Scoliosis, Surgery