Adult Scoliosis: What is surgery like? Outcomes? Recovery?

@elainep Hello, thank you for your story. And I have to say, traveling to the future for surgery was not something I thought of. Ha ha! Just kidding, I made the comment because you said you had ALIF surgery on 12/30/2026.

These are good stories to have on message boards like this one. When dealing with back/spine surgery, most people are not told the actual success rate by their surgeon. This is too bad, as it makes it seem these doctors might not be honest with you about everything. I had ALIF surgery back in November of 2025, so I'm about 6 months post-op. The surgeon fused my spine at L5-S1 due to the bottom disc collapsing on the right side.

Another thing you mentioned, Elaine, was your physical therapy. My surgeon, who is a teaching professor, who designs minimally invasive procedures for other doctors to use, who is at the top of his profession, did not even consider scheduling me for physical therapy. I asked him about therapy before the surgery last year, and he dismissed it as I wouldn't need it, that I will be fine. EVERY other doctor/facility I researched schedules physical therapy after spine surgery, so it is very surprising someone at this level would not for me.

My main point for this is anyone talking about surgery, or that has surgery scheduled, please make sure you are getting the therapy you need after your surgery. I've been to two different physical therapy facilities on my own, and the second one specializes in Scoliosis treatment. They use what is called the Schroth Method, which is using exercises, stretches, and breathing techniques to help ease your pain.

Good luck, Elaine, I'm glad you are getting results from your surgery!

@elainep Hello, thank you for your story. And I have to say, traveling to the future for surgery was not something I thought of. Ha ha! Just kidding, I made the comment because you said you had ALIF surgery on 12/30/2026.

These are good stories to have on message boards like this one. When dealing with back/spine surgery, most people are not told the actual success rate by their surgeon. This is too bad, as it makes it seem these doctors might not be honest with you about everything. I had ALIF surgery back in November of 2025, so I'm about 6 months post-op. The surgeon fused my spine at L5-S1 due to the bottom disc collapsing on the right side.

Another thing you mentioned, Elaine, was your physical therapy. My surgeon, who is a teaching professor, who designs minimally invasive procedures for other doctors to use, who is at the top of his profession, did not even consider scheduling me for physical therapy. I asked him about therapy before the surgery last year, and he dismissed it as I wouldn't need it, that I will be fine. EVERY other doctor/facility I researched schedules physical therapy after spine surgery, so it is very surprising someone at this level would not for me.

My main point for this is anyone talking about surgery, or that has surgery scheduled, please make sure you are getting the therapy you need after your surgery. I've been to two different physical therapy facilities on my own, and the second one specializes in Scoliosis treatment. They use what is called the Schroth Method, which is using exercises, stretches, and breathing techniques to help ease your pain.

Good luck, Elaine, I'm glad you are getting results from your surgery!

I am an almost 65 year old who with severe scoliosis. I would recommend Mayo Clinic ….to me, you are getting the best medical treatment possible when you are at a world-renowned hospital. If I may mention names, my main surgeon was Dr. Arjun Sebastian at Rochester, he is a neurosurgeon & specializes in correcting spinal deformities. It takes a whole team of doctors for this…..plus they do nerve monitoring during the surgery. I had 2 surgeries (T4 to pelvis): ALIF on 12/30/2026 to fuse lower back and the posterior surgery for all the main hardware placement on 1/2/26. I was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks…then home since my partner was able to care for my needs. Used a walker for the first 1.5 weeks at home. Very uncomfortable/painful for especially the first 6 weeks for me, but tolerable with muscle relaxers & Oxy. Nighttime was the worst…..as the only thing that relieved the discomfort was walking/pacing the floor. As a matter of fact, walking was the best way to alleviate discomfort all day…then I would sit in a recliner when tired. Slept in a recliner for the first 8 weeks, then I was able to sleep tolerably in bed. The first 6 weeks had most pain in my lower back but my upper back just felt like someone had placed a sheet of plywood to it! Then around the 6-8 week point, the lower back pain mostly subsided, but my upper back (waist up, middle of spine & through my shoulder blades) was quite painful. I was able to start PT after 3 months, and I really started feeling much better after 4 months & with walking several miles per day & doing home PT as recommended. I am glad I decided to do these surgeries. I can finally breathe easy, and the searing nerve pain that I had through my back, hips, and left leg is gone!!!! I actually look in the mirror now & even have a “normal looking body” and now my clothes fit right….lol! …just a silly extra perk for someone my age . Everyone is different with pain thresholds and healing. This is giving me back the chance to keep an active lifestyle! I highly recommend religiously going to PT and doing almost daily home PT exercises both before and after surgery. I learned that this is a marathon healing instead of a race…..it is a long process, but I feel a little better each week. I also bought several items to regain my independence in dressing: an extra long shoe horn, a sock aid for putting on socks, and a grabber tool since I can no longer bend/twist at the waist. Oh, & I can finally sleep for hours at a time without waking up from pain! So, life is good & getting better! Sooo happy I went to Mayo. Fantastic care from all the staff (so different from a typical hospital!!). Hopefully my before and after X-rays get posted with this (I think I removed all identifying stuff on it).

@marcd2k
I tried to upload my before and after photos but I think the file is to big. If you want to see the they are on Google search Dr Rahman HSSI in Houston on reviews.

@marcd2k I have scoliosis (Harrington rod surgery in 1980) and XLIF in 2025. I'm interested in Schroth therapy. Where do you go for that?

@elainep Did you have to travel / fly to Mayo Rochester ? and if so, how was that experience (i.e., hotel nearby, car ride to airport, airplane ride home, etc).

@elainep Hello, thank you for your story. And I have to say, traveling to the future for surgery was not something I thought of. Ha ha! Just kidding, I made the comment because you said you had ALIF surgery on 12/30/2026.

These are good stories to have on message boards like this one. When dealing with back/spine surgery, most people are not told the actual success rate by their surgeon. This is too bad, as it makes it seem these doctors might not be honest with you about everything. I had ALIF surgery back in November of 2025, so I'm about 6 months post-op. The surgeon fused my spine at L5-S1 due to the bottom disc collapsing on the right side.

Another thing you mentioned, Elaine, was your physical therapy. My surgeon, who is a teaching professor, who designs minimally invasive procedures for other doctors to use, who is at the top of his profession, did not even consider scheduling me for physical therapy. I asked him about therapy before the surgery last year, and he dismissed it as I wouldn't need it, that I will be fine. EVERY other doctor/facility I researched schedules physical therapy after spine surgery, so it is very surprising someone at this level would not for me.

My main point for this is anyone talking about surgery, or that has surgery scheduled, please make sure you are getting the therapy you need after your surgery. I've been to two different physical therapy facilities on my own, and the second one specializes in Scoliosis treatment. They use what is called the Schroth Method, which is using exercises, stretches, and breathing techniques to help ease your pain.

Good luck, Elaine, I'm glad you are getting results from your surgery!

@ccchang Hello, Cori. I am on the West Coast, and I found a Physical Therapy office that uses the Schroth Method. I found them just by doing a Google search for Schroth Method practitioners in my area. They have been great, but unfortunately, my insurance only gives me 24 visits for the year, and you go to treatment two times a week. So, my last appointment is this coming Monday.

Hi @marcd2k , yes, I realized my typo after posting, so yes….my ALIF surgery was 12/30/2025…..not 2026, although the time travel concept sounds interesting! Lol!!

I cannot imagine going through my surgery (a long fusion…T4 to pelvis) without the couple months of physical therapy beforehand to strengthen my muscles…especially my core & leg and glute strength & my flexibility. Learning how to get in & out of bed (log-rolling) and having to sit to stand would have been nearly impossible, I think, without building strength beforehand. I am now a little over 4.5 months post-surgery, and I go to physical therapy twice per week. I have noticed a big difference in my improving hip flexibility and ability to bend at the hips and do squats (still can’t squat to the floor all the way, though, because I had left ACL reconstruction years ago & lost my full range of motion). But, between trying to make a daily habit of walking miles & doing home PT exercises at least 5 days per week, I am slowly getting stronger. As I said before, I now realize that this will take a good year to mostly heal & 2 years to fully heal. Still thankful for this intense surgery…..I can now sleep restfully for a good 4 hours or so before I have to roll on my side for a while, then back on my back for another couple hours of sleep. Sooooo much better than the all night nerve pain I had before surgery.

@marcd2k Where on the West Coast are you? I suppose it’s possible that google isn’t always updated. The closest I can find is 90 minutes away, down by Stanford. Thank you