Adult scoliosis surgery

@lisamedanic I too have pain when walking any distance or standing for too long. I have never thought it could be because I have scoliosis (I was told by a doctor when I was 22 that I had it and surgery for it was never suggested) but I just chalked it up to aging. I would be interested in your progress. I am 79 so I guess I would not qualify for that surgery …?

I had scoliosis surgery at 60 years old. They fused T-9 to S-1. The recovery was rough but nothing like the recovery I experienced from a revision surgery of C-2 to C-5. The revision fused C-2 to T-5. This was two years ago at age 72. The recovery from this surgery has been rough. I still have neck pain and numbness in my right hand. My pain before the surgery was very bad and my arm and hand were numb. I believe the surgery was necessary given my history. The only reason I would consider any back or neck surgery is for severe pain relief and to prevent nerve damage. If injections and medication and massage and meditation and support had managed my pain I would not have had the surgery two years ago. It has been a much harder recovery for me and I believe that is because of my age..

@annandkitty I’m sorry things are so hard for you right now. I do hope they improve. I’ve done all the conservative treatment options and they no longer help. Dr Sebastian would not even consider surgery if anything else could help. I’ve had scoliosis since I was ten with on and off back pain since high school but it was manageable with massage, PT, exercise, acupuncture and things I’m probably forgetting. Over the last two years it has gotten much worse and nothing has helped including steroid injection, nerve ablation and medication. I’m not in constant pain. If I’m sitting on a heating pad I’m fine but if I try to walk around a grocery store or, even worse, a farmer’s market or museum, I’m quickly in extreme pain and exhausted. I used to walk several miles a day and now I sit except for some strengthening/PT exercises I do several times a week. Dr Sebastian isn’t pushing me to do surgery. Quite the opposite. He wants me to think about it. It’s a big surgery with lots of pain. I’m feeling like I don’t have a lot of choices. He’s the second doctor who has said that if nothing else works this is my best option. I’m going to choose Mayo in the hope that going to such a good hospital and doctor will improve my odds of a good outcome but there are no guarantees. My age will make it harder as will the arthritis and other issues of aging but I’m not getting younger and the longer I’m so sedentary the faster all that will progress. I think the choice is between continuing to get worse, a 45 degree curve that is progressively getting worse and will keep limiting my life or a chance at at least a few, maybe many, more years of active life. I would love to hear from others who have faced similar situations and hear their stories.

@annandkitty I’m sorry things are so hard for you right now. I do hope they improve. I’ve done all the conservative treatment options and they no longer help. Dr Sebastian would not even consider surgery if anything else could help. I’ve had scoliosis since I was ten with on and off back pain since high school but it was manageable with massage, PT, exercise, acupuncture and things I’m probably forgetting. Over the last two years it has gotten much worse and nothing has helped including steroid injection, nerve ablation and medication. I’m not in constant pain. If I’m sitting on a heating pad I’m fine but if I try to walk around a grocery store or, even worse, a farmer’s market or museum, I’m quickly in extreme pain and exhausted. I used to walk several miles a day and now I sit except for some strengthening/PT exercises I do several times a week. Dr Sebastian isn’t pushing me to do surgery. Quite the opposite. He wants me to think about it. It’s a big surgery with lots of pain. I’m feeling like I don’t have a lot of choices. He’s the second doctor who has said that if nothing else works this is my best option. I’m going to choose Mayo in the hope that going to such a good hospital and doctor will improve my odds of a good outcome but there are no guarantees. My age will make it harder as will the arthritis and other issues of aging but I’m not getting younger and the longer I’m so sedentary the faster all that will progress. I think the choice is between continuing to get worse, a 45 degree curve that is progressively getting worse and will keep limiting my life or a chance at at least a few, maybe many, more years of active life. I would love to hear from others who have faced similar situations and hear their stories.

rashida, age isn't the most complicating factor regarding scoliosis surgery. If you feel up to it, I'd encouraged you to have an evaluation with a doctor like Sebastian who has extensive experience.