Information on scoliosis, adult scoliosis, flat back syndrome, adolescent scoliosis, and idiopathic scoliosis. I have links to some scoliosis organizations, a scoliosis chat area, scoliosis support groups, and a very informative e-mail list, to which I belong and highly recommend. You will also find information on braces and the surgical treatment of scoliosis. I created this page so others could find information and answers to their questions in one place on the internet. If there is any other information on scoliosis you think I might be interested in adding to these pages please e-mail me with the web address and I will visit the site. I would like this page to be as complete as possible, thank you in advance.

    Hello my name is WhiteAngel, I have scoliosis, or as some refer to it, curvature of the spine. I had posterior surgery with the placement of a Harrington rod and a retention rod done in 1978 at the age of 22. My spine was fused from T3 to L4 and following surgery I spent the following year in a body cast. I had extensive revision surgery August of 1998. I am now fused from the base of my neck to my tailbone, T3-S1, and my spine is fused to my pelvis at the SI joints. The SI joints are the spaces where your sacrum meets the bones of the pevis on either side of your lower spine. My revision surgery addressed: two fractures in my old fusion (pseudoarthrosis), a dislodged hook with the lower portion of my Harrington rod broken off from the fusion, a hole or non-healed area of my fusion, severe flatback (loss of the natural inward curve at the waist causing one to lean forward and unable to stand up straight many times worsening throughout the day), collapse of my L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc spaces with entrapped nerves, severe arthritis, and decreased bone density. I also had very significant degeneration of both the SI joints in my pelvis. All this required an anterior/posterior surgery done in two operations a week apart. I now have 4 rods supporting the new fusion, 16 pedicle screws holding the spine in place where osteotomies were done to correct my flatback ( they took 9 wedges of bone out of the old fusion so they could correct some kyphosis in my upper thorasic spine and recurve my lower thorasic and lumbar spine to give me back my natural waist line which was lost during the original surgery and caused the flatback),2 plates with 10 screws holding the fusion together at my SI joints, a sacral bar to keep my pelvis level while the fusion heals, a few pieces of cadaver bone, and a plate of titanium that supports my anterior lower spine. The plate goes from about L3 to the mid-sacrum anteriorly and has 6 more screws holding it in place.

After surgery I spent three months in bed so the SI fusions could heal. It then took me six months to learn to walk and do activities of daily living again. I did not feel great for 16 months post-op. It was a very difficult recovery but, well worth it. I was in tremendous pain prior to the surgery and now have pain that is tolerable and will get better over time. Most of the pain I have now is muscular in nature caused by being in bed for so long. I no longer have any back or nerve pain. What a relief after suffering for years with chronic back pain and sciatica. I encourage anyone who had scoliosis surgery years ago and is now having pain or is leaning forward to consult with a doctor who specializes in adult scoliosis. I used Dr. John Kostuik at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore Maryland but there are others, very few, who really specialize in this type of surgery.

    I am also an ER nurse. I have been an Emergency Room nurse for over 18 years. I love my work and have seen many changes in Emergency Medicine over the years. I find ER Nursing one of the most challenging and rewarding professions available. We have a saying at work "THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!" I am sure all ER nurses can indeed relate to that.

    I have many interests in life. I love my computer and spend a great deal of time chatting with many friends from Police Chat and on ICQ. I am a self taught computer nerd and enjoy taking my computer apart and putting it back together. It is doubtful that I will be able to return to the profession I have spent my life devoted to with such an extensive fusion and the many restrictions that go along with it.

    To keep me busy I am a mother of two and an animal lover. I have three cats, a puppy, and a five foot iguana named Alice. (in case you were wondering about my chosen background.) Alice is the love of my life, excluding my husband. Well unfortunately my puppy let my beleoved Alice out of the house and she ran away. A few months later my wild puppy let herself out of our fensed yard and was killed my a car. We now have a new dog.

Scoliosis is a side to side curvature of the spine, as the picture to the left demonstrates. Scoliosis can have it's onset in infancy but is more often noticed in adolescence. It is more common in females at a 2:1 ratio. However as the curvature increases to more then 30 degrees it is seen in females at an 9:1 ratio with men. The cause of the most common form of scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis, is unknown but, there are may be hereditary factors involved.

Scoliosis causes shoulder, trunk, and waistline unevenness, as well as the feeling that one leg is shorter, when indeed it is not. In its mild form it can go completely undetected. In it's more severe form there can be significant disfigurement, decreases in lung volume, and back pain.

Fortunately the majority of scoliosis cases can be observed by x-ray exams on a regular basis while growth is still present. Some cases require more aggressive treatment. Bracing may be suggested for curves greater than 20 degrees till growth has stopped. Surgery maybe necessary if the curve continue past 40 or 50 degreees. Physical therapy has not been shown to be an effective treatment of scoliosis.

The most common surgical treatment for scoliosis is a spinal fusion with the placement of rods, hooks, and bone grafts. The rods are attached to the spine with hooks and the curved portion of the spine is straightened out. Bone grafts are then placed between the vertebrea so that the curved section of spine becomes one solid piece of bone.

We smile at a small child who fell off his swing set and hurt his arm. Comforting him with a smile, a hug, and a chicken balloon made from a glove. We can not let this child know we have just left the bedside of a dying 34 year old mother of three, who has begged us to keep her alive to see her children grow up. We learn to wipe away the tears after consoling her husband. We have just told him she has a few days maybe only a few hours to live. Off to our little child we go with a smile and ease.