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Scoliosis is estimated to affect 4.5% of the general population. In a nation of approximately 300 million people, this means that over 13 million cases of scoliosis exist, and almost 500 more are diagnosed each day – about 173,000 every year. According to some studies, the average scoliosis patient will suffer a 14-year reduction in their average life expectancy1. This means that if by some miracle we could eliminate scoliosis completely, this would add 168 million years of health and productivity to our society. Clearly this is not a minor issue, but an epidemic, and one that should be taken very seriously.

There are no scoliosis experts. If there were, there would be no scoliosis patients. Please consider all the information you get carefully, evaluate the alternatives, and then make a conscious and deliberate decision on its validity. For too long, professional jealousy and ego have dominated all facets of the healthcare profession. It is time to refocus on the real reason our profession exists – without any patients, there would be no doctors. Let us place the health and well-being of those who have been entrusted to our care before any personal considerations, and work together to find the most effective cure for every condition.

Please do not hesitate to copy and distribute the information on this page to all who might benefit from it, but under no condition should you sell it for a profit.

Every year in the United States, roughly 20,000 Harrington rod implantation surgeries are performed on patients with scoliosis, at an average cost of $120,000 per operation2. One-third of all spinal surgeries are performed on scoliosis patients. Every year, about 8,000 people who underwent this surgery in their youth for the correction of their scoliosis are legally defined as permanently disabled for the rest of their lives. Even worse, follow-up x-rays performed upon these individuals reveal that, an average of 22 years after the surgery was performed, their scoliosis has returned to pre-operative levels3. The Harrington rods inserted into these individuals' spines will either bend, break loose from the wires, or worse, break completely in two, necessitating further surgical intervention and removal of the rod.

Once the rod is removed, corrosion (rust) is found on two out of every three4. After the operation is performed, the average patient suffers a 25% reduction in their spinal ranges of motion5. Non-fused adult scoliosis patients do not have this same impairment. This flatly contradicts the claim that having a steel rod fused to your spine will not affect your mobility, physical activities, or quality of life.

These facts are never shared with the patient prior to the surgery. Parents do not choose the Harrington rod implantation procedure because it is the best choice for their son or daughter, but rather because they are misled into believing that it is the only choice. However, many studies suggest that the side effects of the surgery are worse than the side effects of the scoliosis itself. Surgery or Alternative Treatment: Dr. Hersh explains your choices.

Consider the titles & conclusions of the following Scoliosis studies:

Treating Scoliosis in Young Unneeded

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Stuart Weinstein, MD, University of Iowa, 2003. "Many with curvature of spine go on to lead normal lives. Many adolescents diagnosed with spine curvatures can skip braces, surgery or other treatment without developing debilitating physical impairments, a 50 year study suggests." Long-term results of quality of life in patients with idiopathic scoliosis after Harrington instrumentation and their relevance for expert evidence.

Gotze C, Slomka A, Gotze HG, Potzl W, Liljenqvist U, Steinbeck J.
Z Orthop Ihre Grenzgeb 2002 Sep-Oct;140(5):492-8 "CONCLUSION: Forty percent of operated treated patients with idiopathic scoliosis were legally defined as severely handicapped persons 16.7 years after the surgery."

Medical Complications in scoliosis surgery Curr Opin Pediatr 2001 Feb;13(1):36-41 "[Complications] include the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone, pancreatitis, superior mesentaric artery syndrome, ileus, pnemothorax, hemothorax, chylothorax and fat embolism. Urinary tract infections, wound infection and hardware failure are not addressed." [They were not addressed because happened so often!] Results of Surgical Treatment of Adults with Idiopathic Scoliosis J Bone Joint Surg AM 1987 Jun;69(5) :667-75 Sponseller, Nachemson et al, "Frequency of pain was not reduced… pulmonary function did not change… 40% had minor complications, 20% had major complications, and… there was 1 death [out of 45 patients]. In view of the high rate of complications, the limited gains to be derived from spinal fusion should be assessed and clearly explained to the patient."

Corrosion of spinal implants retrieved from patients with scoliosis Akazawa T, Minami S, Takahashi K, Kotani T, Hanawa T, Moriya H. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan. J Orthop Sci. 2005;10(2):200-5. "Corrosion was seen on many of the rod junctions (66.2%) after long-term implantation." Scoliosis curve correction, thoracic volume changes, and thoracic diameters in scoliotic patients after anterior and posterior instrumentation Int Orthop 2001;25(2):66-0 "The correlation between the change in Cobb angle and the thoracic volume change was poor for both groups." [e.g., whether fused in the front or back of the spine, surgery will not improve cardiopulmonary function.] Radiologic findings and curve progression 22 years after treatment for AIS Spine 2001 Mar 1;26(5):516-25 "Initial average loss of spinal correction post-surgery is 3.2 degrees in the first year and 6.5 after two years with continued loss of 1.0 degrees per year throughout life." [So, if a 50 degree Cobb angle is corrected by surgery to 25 degrees, it will return to its pre-operative condition of 50 degrees after roughly twenty years.] Prospective Evaluation of Trunk Range of Motion in AIS Undergoing Spinal Fusion Spine 2002 Jun 15;27 (12) :1346-54 Engsberg et al, Wash U, St. Louis, MO "Whereas range of motion was reduced in the fused regions of the spine, it was also reduced in un-fused regions [emphasis added]. The lack of compensatory increase at un-fused regions contradicts current theory." Health-related quality of life in patients with AIS; a matched follow-up at least 20 years after treatment with brace (BT) or surgery (ST) European Spine Journal 2001; Aug; 10(4): 278-88 "49% of surgically-treated patients admitted limitation of social activities due to their back."