Scoliosis Surgery - Neck problems a year later

hi All...

I had the operation when i was about 15 i am now 28 and having more and more problems with back and neck pain (and now hip pain) i don't regret having the op at all,, it went really well, i had an excellent surgeon and i was pleased with the result.. i also wore a plaster cast for 6 months after the operation. I am about to see an Osteopath tomorrow so will see what happens - am very nervous and as i am very worried about my back being touched and even now it is still sensitive for me to touch in places...

but at the moment i am in agony... i have heard that after the operation things can move slightly - has anyone experienced this?? i was also told when i had the operation i may need one of my legs lengthening??? may be thinking now this is why i am having so many problems and why it is starting to affect my hips - although my back is now straight, if i lift one heel off the floor i feel my hips straighten...

I admit i do not do a much exercise as i should, i used to do a lot of dancing, ballet etc which i think helped,,, may be i should take it back up!!!!

i'm going back a bit now, but still may be helpful to newcomers - as previously said, i had the operation... i gave birth 8 years ago and didn't have any more discomfort than friends of mine who don't have scoliosis - the only things i couldn't do was have an epidural for pain releif, i had to rely on gas on air which was still painful, but i don't think having the operation had a major effect on my pregnancy - but we are all different and it could effect us all in different ways...

I was in traction every night for a year in 1976, then a full-on body brace for 2 years. Finally, I had my surgery in 1979 (when i was 16)!! was in the hospital for 2 weeks then put into a body cast for 6 months then a small brace for 6 months.

i don't regret the surgery. I do have neck and shoulder discomfort almost all the time, but it's just part of life. it's not painful, just uncomfortable. I go to massage when it bothers me too much.

and as for chiropractors - they can't fix a 50+ degree curvature of the spine!

so, yes, it's normal to have some discomfort. I figure it's all the stress and tension that might normally be absorbed by the spine, is not. with the vertebrae being fused and all, and the stress makes it's way up and/or down to the part of the spine that's not fused. i get lower back discomfort as well, especially when walking up hill.

I also gave birth 19 years ago, and although the epidural wouldn't "spread", my deliver was just fine.
hope this helps.

I wanted to reply to the person who after 30 years is starting to develop severe neck pain. Me, too! It's been 40 years since I had my Harrington rod put in place, and the pain started to get severe about 10 years ago. I've been on pain meds for 7 years (Vicodin, minimal dosing just to relieve the worst symptons) and recently started physical therapy which WORKS GREAT!! The neck problem is related to muscles that do not get well used because of immobility in certain regions of the back (due to the fusion). Part of it is aging, too. You can learn how to make use of those muscles. Decrease in pain from level 8 to about 5 after four physical therapy sessions, for me. Re: chiropracty, I have been numerous times cautioned against going to a chiropractor with this rod in place.

Hey everyone, I was told I had an "S" curve at 8 years old, and have since coped with the resulting unevenness and stiffness of neck/shoulders/shoulder-blades/ribcage & everything that's attached to those things.

What's more, I'm a standup bass player, so my high (Left) side is constantly elevated, and consequently has greater muscle definition, leading to, you guessed it, more stiffness, unevenness and discomfort.

I'm now 22 yrs. old and I suppose it's too late for a corrective surgery.

However, I would like to remind everyone of the importance of a balanced diet that keeps you healthy, gentle exercises that promote even muscle use, deep breathing & taking time out to relax if you're combating the symptoms of spinal irregularities.

It's important for all of us to hear what we can do to take the healing process into our own hands, as nice as it is for some of us to indulge in bashing this treatment or the other ;-)

It's all I've ever had to rely on for relief, so I hope it's helpful to someone out there, knowing that a little attention paid to your body's inner strength can work wonders. A little positive reinforcement in the mind can go a long way in the body... Self-esteem can be destroyed by spinal problems, so keep your chin up!

I've just been reading all your posts. My scoliosis was so severe that after the two fusions that were required (Harrington rods, dwires and a lot of screws and bone chips) my lung capacity doubled. The surgery had to be done. I was bent into a severe S shape, and my back pain and the number of severe pneumonia's I had every winter were savage. It did take me several years for the back pain after the operations to totally subside, but I was lucky, I had an EXCELLENT surgeon. The operations were done in 1980 and my fusion is still rock solid. So have hope! Your muscles around the spine can heal, the cut nerves will give you some hassle for awhile, but it does sort itself out. Look for the best doctor you can find. Stay away from the snake oil merchants, and let yourself heal. It takes time. It is frustrating I know, but if I hadn't got it done, I would not be alive and I would have had a far more painful life.

I am truly offended by the reply that a chiropractor can fix scoliosis. Scoliosis can be treated by a chiropractor to help with pain and stiffness but NOT corrected in serious surgical cases. To suggest to someone who has made an informed and painful decision to have surgery that they were hoodwinked by their surgeon is HORRIBLE! How unfeeling and demeaning to the poor person who had to make this choice and to the honest chiropractors in the world. I am a chiropractors wife with a daughter with severe scoliosis. We have researched everywhere and tried alternatives. Our daughter has always been adjusted and she is the better for it but to suggest in severe cases that adjusting can correct scoliosis is ridiculous! Are you GOD?

I had the long rod, but finding my new life I over did it and the hooks came off at both ends with removal in 3 surgeries. many years later regretably they had to fuse my L4-5 and now the iliac is overflexed till it hurts because I push for range of motion.Through all this my neck has been a significant problem as well. I have been told little would improve no matter the surgery. It is really just the nature of the beast, some worse than others. My Mom has single rotory and never had surgery, however I have double rotory and with now being mostly fused the ole neck takes it's turn at doing yet another slight rotational curve, my neck having been the straightest part of my spine and it needed a curve to make holding my head up easier. I can suggest getting an inversion machine like the Teeter hangups. I bought my back swing in 1983 and use it daily. Nothing truly helps more than this device. I am not sure of the quality of the Teeter hangups but mine cost $500 in 1983. I did not have it one week before I rebuilt it with pillow block bearings and stainless struts for stability. Mine has been pointed south outside and staked into the ground as I rapidly invert and do all manner of inverted excersise. This was my only answer to give me a career that lasted almost 30 years in industrial maintenance before my back finally got too bad to hold down a job. I know it feels like there is not much you can do but you fight it with excersice to keep mobility. I was driven by a need to look normal but ultimately gave up and am now resigned to be what I can be and I take care of my Mom and we are happy, just in pain. Only we can truly understand what people like us go through, so I say fight through it to better yourself and what people think of the way you have to use your body to do a job does not matter in the end so just smile as I did that first day on the beach after getting out of the last of 3 body casts laying on my stomach as a group of young girls approached and said euw how did you get such an ugly scar? I said it took some doing and smiled. I laid back down tears in my eyes and just glad they did not notice the double humps{{:>)

Whatever you do, do not go to a chiropractor for your spine problems. They are not even doctors. They can cause so many problems, even kill you. Many people have had a stroke because of of a chiropractor's adjustments. Anyway, they just treat the symptoms. You need to go to a Comprehensive Spine Center where a multi-disciplinary team of doctors and surgeons can do diagnostic tests to determine the cause of your spinal issue, and then treat it accordingly. Most spinal problems do not require surgery. If there is an academic medical center in your area, that will probably be your best bet.

Seek the advice of a good chiropractor- your surgeon will disagree- but then again, he sees a future surgery.

This is the exact reason behind this post - money. Chiropractors see $ signs when a patient with scoliosis turns up. Believe me, there is nothing a chiropractor can do to change the curve in someone's spine. I spent many years and many $ being told that it would help, but of course, it did not. I had my head in the sand, hoping to avoid surgery. I had surgery in March and am free of pain and my curve was reduced from 68 degrees to 22. The curve is now only visible in an x-ray. I would happily share my before and after pics if I could work out how.

Meantime, please don't be swayed by promises of a straightened spine, from chiropractors.






I hope the pics work![/img]

Beware, there are some chiropractors (and other alternative practitioners) out there who concentrate on publishing scare stories about surgery in order to frighten people into having their treatments, rather than publishing clinical evidence about its efficacy. They claim that surgeons are only interested in doing surgeries, which is not true! Before you pay for any alternative treatments, make sure you ask plenty of questions such as "are you medically qualified?" and "where are the clinical, independent research papers that prove this method works?".

Hi everyone! I had scoliosis surgery 8 years ago by the most fabulous doctor ever, Dr. Weinstein out of Iowa City at the University of Iowa Hospitol and Clinics. The only thing I ever notice about my surgery are my neck issues. I have to constantly pop my neck in all directions because it consistenly crams up, especially after sleeping (which is an issue in itself, my neck has to positioned just right or I wake up with more pain). It's very painful when I try to resist popping it, as what my doctor told me, that I had to just stop popping it and take ibuprofen. It's 8 years later and I pop my neck at least 5 times a day... bad....Anyone else dealing with this?

I am 21 years old and I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis when I was in 4th grade. I've had a total of 5 surgeries, due to complications. Screws becoming lose, things breaking, etc. I had a surgery this August..and they put the rods from the bottom of my neck all the way down. A few weeks later, I had to have yet another emergency surgery..turned out that they didn't put my rods high enough, so my neck had so support. Reading your post, it sounds like you are experiencing a lot of what I went through. I am not trying to scare you, but I do think that you should get checked out immediately. I also read somebody's reply that a good chiropractor visit will help...I totally disagree with that. You shouldn't be going there for back pain if you have rods in your spine. I hope you find this useful. And again, I am not trying to scare you.

Chiropractors cannot fix severe scoliosis. This post in negative and misinformed and sounds like the person is trying to put fear into you.



It would be helpful if you strengthen your back muscles that hold your neck up. See a trained physical therapist that your doctor recommends.

I did a surgery at 15. They put in a rod and some screws that look like wires to me in the xrays.I do not know what happened but it seems like the rod got loose and it kept pushing up at the back of my neck.They said that they had to take it out but I had to wait untill I turn 18, which is what happened. Over the years everyone who was looking could see that my back was very bent because the surgery did not help much. The thing is that they said it was for helping me to breath. Right now I am 32 and in agony and it even feels crippling at times.I went to another docter who said its the worst he has ever seen and that to do this surgury it will cost a small fortune and it will be quite challenging to fix.Here wondering if I should do it again