What are the side effects of scoliosis spinal fusion surgery?

Scoliosis in adults treatment at Spiral Spine Nashville

New clients often ask what my thoughts are on scoliosis spinal fusion surgery and its side effects, because that is the only option they were given by their doctors to treat their scoliosis. I’m going to have the conversation I have with them with you. To summarize: Doctors usually don’t mention treatments besides bracing and […]

Two Scoliosis Spinal Fusion Surgeries Approved by FDA

xray of spine showing before and after with apifix

The FDA recently approved two more scoliosis spinal fusion surgeries: Vertebral Body Tethering (VBT) and ApiFix. I’ve been reading about these two surgeries for years and am hopeful they will be good alternatives to the rod fusion surgeries that are currently done, but only time will tell. While I am not an advocate of spinal […]

Warning: Scoliosis is a Big Money Business

cartoon white woman wearing a back brace for scoliosis

A few years back I signed up on Google to receive email alerts anytime an article was posted on the internet with the word ‘scoliosis’ in it so I could get a true look at what was happening in the scoliosis world. My inbox has been flooded with daily articles with titles like: Scoliosis Management […]

Don’t Give Up

Keep calm and carry on gif

I recently received the following email: Thank you so much for this post (My Scoli Rant: Stop the Mistruths!). I’ve had scoliosis and Scheuerman’s kyphosis since I was a child and I am now 62. I’m in constant pain daily and have considered surgery. NO WAY NOW! I’ve been taking PILATES for a year now, […]

There are many non-surgical ways to treat scoliosis

Yesterday, on the TV show “The Doctors,” they included a segment on scoliosis. At first I was thrilled that a major show was finally covering scoli, but when I realized how they were covering it,  the rage began to set in. By the end of the piece, I literally felt nauseous and thought I might […]

Scoliosis Inventions

Recently, I was listening to a lecture on inventions at my children’s school. My kids were learning about early America and how inventions improved people’s lives. At the end of the talk, the speaker said, “is there any aspect of your life where you could invent something to make it easier or better?” This struck […]

My Scoli Rant: Stop the Mistruths!

I’m angry, and here’s why:  A few months ago, the blog Hollywood Homestead posted one of the best articles I’ve seen about scoliosis and nutrition. I’ve been doing my share of research on the topic and was thrilled to see that someone else came up with the same conclusions I did and presented it so […]

Scoliosis Quiz – How Much Do You Know About Scoli?

It’s National Scoliosis Awareness Month! In recognition of Scoliosis Awareness Month, let’s take a quick scoliosis quiz: True or False? –Scoliosis can be fatal –Spinal fusion surgery is the only way to truly ‘fix’ scoliosis –People with scoliosis shouldn’t exercise –Women with scoliosis cannot get pregnant –Scoliosis can be diagnosed by the school nurse   […]

The Scoliosis Mind/Body Connection

It’s important to understand the mind/body connection with scoliosis. Rather than simply focusing on the curves in your spine and ways to unwind those curves, you have to visualize how those curves affect the rest of the body – your hips, your arms, your shoulders, the way you move, and more. Even if you’ve had spinal fusion […]

Scoliosis, Migraines and an Immobile Spine

  The following passage is an excerpt from The Beautiful Scoliotic Back, detailing a client of mine who suffers from scoliosis, migraines and an immobile spine.  “Nancy”* is a precious client of mine whom I’ve worked with for years. Nancy is about 60 years-old, but has taken such good care of herself that she looks and […]