Monitoring (watch and wait)

• Your child will have routine X-rays so the doctor can watch for changes in the degree of the curve
• Often done with more mild curves

Bracing (Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthosis/TLSO braces)

• Controls the progress of scoliosis while a child is still growing
• Made of hard plastic
• Can be put on and taken off at home as needed
• Some are designed to be worn up to 23 hours a day; others are worn overnight
• Common for mild to moderate curves

Spinal fusion surgery including minimally invasive options

• Allows two or more bones in the spine (vertebrae) to grow together (fuse) into one solid bone so the spine cannot bend
• Helps the spine grow in a straighter position
• Can help with back pain
• More often used in older children and teens

Non-fusion surgery

• Vertebral body tethering (VBT) – a surgery used in teens where a cord called a tether is attached to the spine to correct the curve. The cord causes the spine to straighten as a patient grows. This cord is flexible, so patients with vertebral body tethering can keep some flexibility in their spine. This is a major advantage of this procedure. A surgeon may recommend vertebral body tethering based on several things, including:
  • The degree of your child’s spinal curve.
  • How much more growing your child has left to do. This is called skeletal maturity. People reach skeletal maturity at different ages. For girls, it's often between ages 13-15; and for boys, it is around ages 15-17.

If surgery is the selected treatment, 6 to 8 weeks prior to surgery your child will team up with a nurse who will work with you one-on-one through the entire journey, from pre-surgery planning through the final stages of recovery at home. This close relationship between a patient and their spine center nurse is unique. It is one of the many advantages that sets the Crawford Spine Center at Cincinnati Children’s apart from other hospitals.

In the initial stage of preparing for spine surgery, you and your child will be given a comprehensive educational binder that includes detailed information about what to expect before, during and after surgery. From here, your nurse will work with you to schedule the following:

• Consults with an anesthesiologist and other medical specialists
• Testing such as lab work, an EKG and a pulmonary function test
• An information session where you will be able to meet a former patient who had spine surgery, listen to their experience and ask questions
• Traction and bending films (radiology tests)

You will meet with your spine nurse to discuss what to expect before surgery, receive supplies you will need before and afterward, and complete any other final preparations.