Scoliosis surgery: Harrington rod placement and spinal fusion

Hello - just saw your post. There are quite a few of us. I had spinal fusion and two Harrington rods placed in 1970 by Hugo Keim at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC. I am now waiting for flatback revision surgery. There are several message boards for folks like us. The Flatback Revised Yahoo Group is for those who have had or are curious about revision surgery.

And the forum at the National Scoliosis Foundation website can be helpful. Use the search box to find conversations about the particular things you want to discuss.

I tried to include the links for you, but this site will not allow me to post the comment with links. Perform a google search for each of the above, and I am sure you will find them.

It took me a long time to find the help I needed, and when I found the Flatback Revised group, I was shocked at the number of people out there who had my same problems. Good luck!

I had fusion done at L4-L5 several years ago after having a failed minor surgery and lots of injections..Physical therapy. ..Pain pills. .etc.i wake up in pain everyday and it is always there regardless of the prescriptions I take.i have tried the soinal stimulator trial which was a nightmare for me.i had the stimulator inserted for 6 days and ended up in the fetal oosition for almost 6 weeks.my drs are suggesting a morphine pump that at 44 years old..I refuse to do.i am sick of always being in pain. I have been reading everyones postings trying to see if anyone has done something that may be helpful to me.i am at a point where the pain runs my life.i am so tired of not being able to do things with my kids and not being able to enjoy life.i do not think anyone understands back pain unless you are going thru it.i am jealous of those who do surgery and they are feeling great.everytime I do a surgery..I always end up in more pain. Just want to thank those who have posted their stories because I know I am not alone.

Welcome to Connect, @julieannejp.
I agree and am thankful to the people sharing their stories. It really helps to break the barrier of isolation we can feel, thinking we're alone with our situations. I'd like to introduce you to @mieke @coladyrev @martishka and @flhtk. You may be interested in sharing on the discussion thread about Adult Scoliosis https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/searching-for-adults-living-with-scoliosis-thoracic-stenosis/

I also recommend following the Chronic Pain group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/pain/#/!tab=discussions and joining the conversations.

We look forward to getting to know you.

Julieann,<br />
<br />
Thanks for sharing your story. Although I've never had surgery for my<br />
scoliosis, I have considerable scoliosis in my back which has developed<br />
over the years following my back surgery for blown discs. I've found that<br />
a hip replacement on one side has considerably reduced the pain on that<br />
side and I'm looking forward to the same surgery in a few weeks on the<br />
other side. I know that my back is a mess, but for me, it seems that the<br />
hip replacements are strengthening the back while removing the pain. I<br />
don't totally understand the physics but I know they are significantly<br />
helpful for me.<br />
My husband is a massage therapist and I definitely find that massage<br />
helps 'soften' the muscles. By 'soften' I don't mean the muscles become<br />
weak instead they are encouraged to return to regular flexion. Do find a<br />
good well-trained therapist who understands the structure of muscles so<br />
she/he knows how to work on your particular body.<br />
Take care, eager to hear how it goes.<br />

I have been amazed at how "Rolfing" or also called "Structural Integratrion" works . Find a certified practitioner and call for a series of accupressure type massage. It has helped my horrid pain level. I have very severe scoliosis and rheumatoid disease.

I have never heard about rolfing thanks for sharing I will look into it I am always interested in alternative non-surgical treatment/management options. I never needed surgical intervention for my scoliosis but I have a friend who had Schroth physiotherapy as part of his treatment and he said it was very helpful and helped to relieve pain. If anyone is interested in learning more about Schroth physiotherapy this is the page from my doctors site explaining what it is scoliosiscarecenters.com/schroth-physiotherapy

Hi, i had the Luquee surgery at Stanford Childrens hospital in 1980 for Scoliosis which the Milwalkie brace did not work after 4 years and this was a study surgery that my mom wanted me to have. I have to long rods on each side of spine and all the way to my mid waist so i can bend and have kids and plus they are wired all the way down. I was fine after having 3 children and doing great untill i had a bad accident in my job that messed me up in my neck so they put a plate and screws and my neck was fine after but my lower went badly. I use a cane and i can not walk much and they want to fuse the rest of my lower back but me and my husband told them no. I was on codien tyanal for 11 years i have been off them for 4 years now. I rather feel my pain than being addective to meds plus i was off them my body feels alot better. My issue is the pain in my neck and lower back i have to sleep up all the time its very hard to get sleep. I want to try stem cell to see if it works and if workers comp would pay for it. It would cost them less than surgerys. Plus i gain so much weight that the pain is worse and i can not excersise its hard to. My specialist at Stanford was Dr. Rinsky i can not see him do to i'm adult and he is a Childrens specialist orthopedic.

I have scheuermann's disease, scoliosis and degenerative disc disease and am looking to get surgery to straighten my back. Is Harrington rod surgery the same as a spinal fusion or are they two different things?

Hi @dwc987,
I just read your post, and I had scoliosis surgery in 1974 with 2 Harrington rods and a long fusion of 14 vertebrae. I was interested in how you doing now?

Hello @nm418 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I noticed you were interested in hearing more from @dwc987 so have edited your post to include the "@" sign before their handle/username. This triggers a notification to that member that you have mentioned them in your post in hopes they will be able to see it and respond. Feel free to use this in future posts.