Scoliosis..?

i am 14 years old and am diagnosed with a thirty degree curve in my lower back, i am very crooked, and stand to a slant. i am in no pain and unless pain occurs i will not need surgery unless i really feel i want it for other reasons. i know this can be a life changing experience but i dont want to live my life crooked. i love horse back riding and am wondering if can do that fter surgery. if you had the surgery what are some pros and cons? thank you so much!

Surgery for cosmetic reasons is a tough call. I normally wouldn't recommend it, but if your curve is excessively noticable, you may want to get it done. Tough call.

I'm sure that the lists below aren't complete, but I'll give it my best shot. I'll edit the reply if I remember something later.

First, a little background. Each vertebra is assigned a name. The cervical spine has C1-C7, the thoracic spine has T1-T12, and the lumbar spine has L1-L5. The sacrum has S1-S5 but it is normal for these to be already fused.

Limitations - This answer will change depending on how many and which vertebrae are fused. For example, with the fusion in the middle of your spine (in the thoracic area), you probably won't notice it too much. I've found that fusion of L4-S1, on the other hand, makes it really hard to bend backward. In any case, you may or may not be able to bend the way you're used to. You'll notice your lack of bending when you try to get in and out of a car.

You also might not be allowed to sky dive, ski, ride horses, and lift over 40 lbs. Some scoliosis specialists change this list slightly, but you get the idea. (** Ask your specialist about his "don't do" list. **)

Pros of surgery

o Pain is less, if not gone altogether.
o Body looks better.
o May (or may not) gain some height when curve is straightened.
o Quality of life is much better.
o Can get on with life instead of always thinking about your back.
o Can run, jump rope, carry your child on your shoulders, etc.
o You aren't tired from the effort it takes just to do minimal things.

Cons of surgery

o Lack of flexibility. This may not be noticable, though.
o Discs may (or may not) degenerate above and below the fusion.
o Shouldn't be a problem with todays instrumentation, but people with Harrington rods will most likely develop "flatback". This happens occasionally to patients with Luque rods if the rods aren't put in correctly. (Harrington rods aren't used in the US anymore.)
o Some limitations on what you can do after you're through recovering. You probably won't do some of these anyway.
o The older you are, in general, the longer it takes to recover. As a teen, you should recover quickly.

It still takes two months to be doing basic things. You'll be cleared to do more things at six months. At one year, you'll be able to do about anything you could do before the surgery. Take it easy. This is major surgery. It takes a while for the spine to fuse.

If your curve is over 30 degrees, it will probably increase even if you're done growing. Mine did. So if you don't have surgery soon, you may have it later.

I have mild kyphosis, which is an excessive front-to-back curve, rather than scoliosis, which is side-to-side, and although mine is not too bad, I did wear a body brace for a year in high school. I wish I had done it earlier, and been able to get even more good from it.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you don't like the way you look, then you should have the surgery (assuming it's safe, and that you'll be able to ride horses afterwards). It sounds like you are concerned about your appearance and want to get rid of your curvature, and if your doctor (and another doctor to give a 2nd opinion, and maybe even a 3rd!) says its safe, then go for it.

Good luck!