Scoliosis Overview
Scoliosis is a kind of disease that shows up in the waist, chest or spine by the curving of the spine to the right in the development age. The correction of this curvature that occurs in the spinal cord, with a surgical operation, is called scoliosis surgery.
Early diagnosis of this disease is very important. In case the scoliosis is not treated in childhood ages, this, paves the way for other diseases, in the growth stage; it may cause spinal cord paralysis. Surgery is inevitable for advanced scoliosis disease that was not prevented in a timely.
When is Scoliosis Surgery performed?
Following the diagnosis of scoliosis, the process of regularly monitoring with routine controls at intervals of 3 – 6 months begins. During each routine examination, the surgeon checks the progression rate and curvature degree of scoliosis. In cases that scoliosis reaches 40 degrees with a high bending rate, surgery is needed. Similarly, when the degree of curvature reaches 40 and the body balance begins to deteriorate, the surgery may be required, although the progression rate is not high. Besides, the surgery is inevitable for overweight and inactive patients.
How is the operation process?
Scoliosis surgery, which is one of the most long-duration operations in orthopedia, takes an average of 3.5 – 4 hours. In the surgery, by placing medical screws on the vertebrae, the curvature is corrected.
The main purpose of scoliosis surgery is to stop the progression of scoliosis or to correct the advanced curvature. In order to correct the spine, the points that cause the curvature are filled and then these points are supported with metal medical tools. The operation is performed under general anesthesia and the incisions are made on the back of the waist. In rare cases, it is also possible to enter the body from the chest cage.
After a 3 to 5 day rest period after scoliosis surgery, the patient can walk for the first time. Also, it is possible to relieve oneself and sit. Following the operation, the patient needs to use a medical corset for 6 weeks. Also, the patient is followed up periodically for 2 years. If any complications are not observed within 2 years, the follow-up is ended.
The patient should avoid sudden movements and challenging sports activities for 6 months after the scoliosis surgery, in order not to change the position of the platinum and iron rods placed to correct the spine during the operation and not to cause any problems. Accurate recovery is key to treatment. The patients can turn back to their daily routines within 1 month. However, it is necessary to wait 3 months for more complex physical activities.
Methods used in Scoliosis Surgery
Spinal Navigation
This surgical method, which provides 3-dimensional visualization of the curvature of the patient’s spine brings the highest rate of success. Because the right visualisation technique provides a successful operation, the contribution of this method is great.
The Neuromonitorization
This method, with a high success rate among the techniques used to track nerve signal transitions accurately, is an effective option for scoliosis surgery. The Neuromonitorization allows full control of the spinal cord during the surgery so that the risk of stroke minimizes. This method, which allows even minimal complications to be prevented, guarantees high success.
3D-Print Method
As another visualisation technique, the 3D-Print Method allows copying the shape of the vertebrae exactly. So, the surgeon can easily examine the patient’s spine to the finest details and this provides the most accurate diagnosis. This advanced method, which also offers the chance to predict the course of the operation, minimizes the risk of occurrence of possible complications.
How does the recovery period proceed?
It is not possible to express a clear time interval for the full recovery; the recovery time totally depends on the patients. The length of the recovery period bases on many different factors, from the physical activity to the diet plan, and from the use of the corset to the age and weight of the patient.
It is possible to speed up the recovery process with exercise and physical therapy programs that are prepared for the patients by the surgeon after the operation. It is also recommended to use a medical corset to gain freedom of movement as soon as possible. The patient can remove this corset while s/he is sleeping, but the corset has a great contribution to getting the correct posture in daily routines.
After the scoliosis surgery, tolerating the pains with pain relievers that the surgeon prescribes for the patient, is possible. Besides that, surgical scars are not issues since they are not easily visible.