Severe cases of Scoliosis are often recommended for surgery. The most common type of surgery is called Cotrel-dubousset (We’ll abbreviate it CD). This type of surgery implants two rods paralleling down the spine, held with hooks and screws, fusing most of the vertebrae in the ribcage and lower back.

This study looked at 40 patients that had this surgery over a 3 year period then followed them for up to 14 years, a very long time in research terms. What they found was alarming for the patients. Consider these statistics.

·   Within 30 days of the surgery 3 of the 40 initial patients had another surgery because the rods or hooks came dislocated from the spine.

·   At an average of about four years 19 of the 40 initial patients had another surgery. Two of which were in that first group that had a second surgery in the first month, making their total surgeries three if you’re keeping count. The reasons for this round of additional surgery was for infections, fistulae or putrid secretions. Some of these patients had to have the rods completely removed.

·   Another 8 patients of the initial 40 had to have the rods removed due to excessive pain at the locations of the instrumentation.

·   All together only 22 of the initial 40 still had the rods and hooks installed.

From these stats you can see nearly half of all the patients had another surgery to completely remove the rods, hooks and screws initially put into their spine. This second surgery was done anywhere from one and a half to twelve years after the initial surgery! Can you imagine suffering through this very invasive surgery then dealing with infections and pain for up to 10 years only to have it all removed?

At an average of about 14 years after the initial surgery they were able to contact about 35% of the patients and gave them questionnaires that evaluated their quality of life. Guess what they found? There was no difference between those that still had the rods and hooks in their spine and those that had to have them removed. If their quality of life is just as good without the rods, hooks and screws in their spine why go through all of the surgeries to install them, more surgery to fix them and finally even more surgery to have it all removed?

While this study does not show a favorable outcome for surgery there are times it is necessary such as when the curve magnitude is so great is affects how the lungs or heart are functioning. However in all other cases all of the conservative options should be exhausted such as Structural Chiropractic care, Spinecor dynamic bracing, corrective movement exercise, etc.

Scoliosis 2012,7:13

By Dr Scott Szela