Scoliosis - Signs, Symptoms, Treatment

Before surgery your doctor will take x-ray graphs of your spine. This will help them to identify the extent of damage and the best possible way to plan the surgery. This can also limit the length of implant required for the correction of the curvature of the spine. It is always good to follow the instructions of your doctor and to take any prescribed medication before the surgery. It is advisable to reach for the procedure with an empty stomach. 

Scoliosis surgery is a major surgery and the length of incision depends upon the area that needs to be corrected. You are given anesthesia during the surgery and will be lying upside down. Your doctor will make an incision depending upon the curvature of the spine to gain access to the vertebrae and will attach hooks to the various vertebrae to anchor rods to each side of the spine. After the hooks have been secured in place, the surgeon now bends the rod into the most possible natural curvature of the spine. After the rods have been fit into the hooks, the surgeon will secure everything in place with the help of screws. The surgeon now fuses the spine with bone grafts from the hip along the length of spine, closes the wound with the help of sutures and dressing is applied. Overtime, the bone will grow in between the vertebrae and hold them together and straight. This process is called spinal fusion and helps to cement everything naturally and in adding more natural strength. The metal rods attached to the spine ensure that the backbone remains straight while the spinal fusion takes place.

Surgery for scoliosis is a major surgery. Some potential risks involved are death and neurological damage, loss of normal spinal function, strain on un-fused vertebrae, post-surgery pain, infection and inflammatory processes etc. Majority of the risks are eliminated by using more sophisticated implants and surgical methods.