Scoliosis can be a scary and confusing disease.  Finding out that your scoliosis is severe will forever change your life.  We want you to know that you are not alone.  At CLEAR Institute, we’re working to find solutions that benefit YOU, the patient.  CLEAR Institute has been thinking outside the box since 2000 to create scoliosis treatment options that make sense.

(Severe Scoliosis carries a 90% risk of progression.  Patients often experience chronic pain and headaches, loss of balance, and digestive disorders.  Clothes hang unevenly and severe postural imbalances are noticed, including a “rib hump” and off centered belly button. Many times the spine is visualized as a “C” or “S” shape when viewing the skin. Many patients struggle with poor body image, social anxiety, and depression.)

Scoliosis is a very serious condition and spinal curves that progress beyond 40 degrees are often recommended for multiple level spinal fusion surgery.  While scoliosis surgery has improved over the past several decades, choosing surgery is never easy, and many patients find that the risks and poor treatment outcomes make this a last resort.

Many long-term studies indicate poor treatment outcomes for surgically treated patients and some studies even recommend a second surgery for complete removal of the hardware after bony fusion has taken place.  Research indicates that surgical intervention, while potentially necessary at times for very large spinal curves, is primarily a cosmetic procedure which ultimately leaves the complex condition of scoliosis untreated.  The surgical procedure simply transforms the spinal deformity into a permanent spinal dysfunction that often results in chronic pain, disfigurement, and even long-term disability.

Is my scoliosis SEVERE?

• Scoliosis curves above 40°
• May have tilted head, uneven shoulders or hips.
• Spine may be visualized as a “C” or “S” shape beneath the skin.
• Often the torso will rotate, pulling the belly button off center.
• Clothing may hang unevenly.
• Often have one shoulder blade that is higher than the other and a “rib hump” is prominent.
• May feel fatigued after physical activity, including sitting or standing for long periods.
• Often feel clumsy or accident prone.
• May become easily winded with physical activity
• May experience pain in spine, most commonly between shoulder blades, at the base of the rib cage and in the low back.  Headaches are common.
• Often recommended for surgery.