Permanent Restrictions After Spinal Fusion Surgery [RISKS]

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Scoliosis is an unnatural sideways spinal curve with rotation. When patients are diagnosed with scoliosis, their first concern is if they need scoliosis surgery.

There are many different severity levels of scoliosis:
Mild 10 to 25 degrees
Moderate 25 to 45 degrees
Severe 45 to 80 degrees
Very Severe 80 degrees or more

Scoliosis is a progressive spinal condition that will worsen if not treated proactively. For adolescents, it can progress rapidly during growth stages and for older adults in later stages of life. It can also progress slowly in the juvenile years and middle adult life stages.

Due to the progressive nature of scoliosis, one of the treatment options is spinal fusion. The goal of spinal fusion is to stop scoliosis progression. The fusion can attach many vertebrae at once. To do this, rods and screws are used, as well as bone grafts between the vertebrae, which solidify the vertebrae into one solid bone. This logically comes with some risks and side effects due to how invasive this surgery is.

Some potential side effects can be:
Nerve damage
Excess blood loss
Infection
Adverse reaction to the hardware used
Rods not attaching properly
Secondary correction surgeries
Decreased range of motion
Disappointing cosmetic results

The spine was designed to move, be strong, and protect the spinal cord. Also, depending on how much you are able to move, this will limit the activities a patient can perform.

Spinal fusion can also cause pain at the site of the fusion, both internal and external, deep in the spine and skin level. It can also lead to additional damage at different surgery points as the force is blocked between the fused areas of the spine.

The results of spinal fusion are often not cosmetically appealing, and though it is successful at stopping progression, patients will often not get what they want because of all the risks and side effects we mentioned above.

There are different treatment approaches and potential outcomes to treat scoliosis. The traditional is the one that leads to surgery; however, a conservative approach helps reduce and manage curves in a less invasive and lower-risk way.

A conservative proactive treatment not only helps reduce scoliosis but can help control it in its progressive stages.
This helps make the spine more functional while avoiding spinal surgery.

The conservative approach combines multiple treatment disciplines and customizes it to each patient. Exercise alone, chiropractic care, or scoliosis bracing alone are not enough to manage scoliosis. However, combining these treatments to help each other, as long as it is done in a coordinated way, can effectively reduce the size of curve.

A smaller spinal curve has more function, more strength, and more support on its surrounding muscles, which allows to reduce the curve without limiting spinal functions as spinal fusion normally does.

Spinal fusion is recommended when a patient wants this approach, or the patient is young, and their curve is 40 degrees or greater and growing. The older the patient, the less suitable they will be for spinal fusion due to the risks involved.

We recommend that patients try a less invasive approach before surgery, especially if their curve size is below 40 degrees. Also, patients maintain more mobility when choosing to try alternative treatment options, and if this treatment doesn't give the expected results, surgery is always an option. The opposite is not possible for those who do get surgery. Once it is done, it implies a major change, and treatment options are more limited.

You can learn more about this topic here:
https://www.scoliosisreductioncenter....

Ready for a consultation or want more information? You can contact us here:
https://www.scoliosisreductioncenter....

00:00 - Permanent Restrictions After Spinal Fusion Surgery
00:30 - Scoliosis Severity
01:29 - Spinal Fusion and Its Risks
05:52 - A Different Way To Treat Scoliosis
07:16 - How Is Scoliosis Treated Non-Surgically?
09:09 - When Is Spinal Fusion Recommended?
11:17 - When Should A Patient Forgo Surgery?
12:18 - Our Recommendation

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