A Scoliosis
Quick Start Guide for
Patients and Families
Get Up to Scoliosis Speed Fast!
Welcome to the start of your scoliosis journey. The videos listed below, featuring interviews with leading surgeons and experts, are specifically curated to provide accurate, balanced, and crucial information to help you understand the condition and available treatment paths immediately.
Making your way from Phase 1 to 3 to get you up to speed on scoliosis. Note that each video is timestamped and organized.
Phase 1: Understanding Diagnosis and Progression Risk (Treatment Consensus)
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Current Scoliosis Treatment Consensus
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How to Navigate Scoliosis
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Skeletal Maturity and Curve Progression
Phase 2: Exploring Conservative Treatment Options (Bracing, Schroth)
Phase 3: Understanding Advanced Surgical Options (VBT, Hybrid VBT, Fusion)
I hope this quick guide helps you navigate the necessary information effectively. Understanding these fundamental areas will equip you to have productive consultations with your healthcare team.
Phase 1:
Understanding Diagnosis and Progression Risk
Current Scoliosis
Treatment Consensus
Dr. Suken Shah, MD:
AIS Treatment Consensus, VBT, and Selective Thoracic Fusion
This video is highly recommended as it provides an excellent summary of current scoliosis treatments. Dr. Shah thoroughly summarizes what treatment is preferred at a certain time, covering observation, bracing, and when surgery might be needed. He also explains the underlying cause (anterior overgrowth) that drives the scoliosis vicious cycle.
Scoliosis Summary and Navigating Care
Dr. Derek Lee, DC, RAc:
How to Navigate Scoliosis
Dr. Derek Lee illustrates how he navigated his son's severe scoliosis from diagnosis, to bracing, to Schroth and eventually to VBT (Vertebral Body Tethering). This video provides a very good general summary of scoliosis and the process families go through.
Skeletal Maturity and Scoliosis Progression
Dr. James O. Sanders:
Sanders Skeletal Maturity Staging
Determining a patient's skeletal stage is critical for determining the correct treatment protocol for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). Dr. Sanders introduces the gold-standard system (Sanders Staging) used globally to assess maturity and accurately predict the likelihood of curve progression. Knowing this score is essential for knowing if bracing is still a viable option.
Phase 2:
Exploring Conservative Treatment Options
Bracing Biomechanics (Rigo Cheneau)
Luke Stikeleather, Orthotist: Engineering My Scoliosis Brace
This interview breaks down bracing from an engineering perspective, explaining how modern 3D braces work by addressing de-rotation, translation, and elongation. It explains how the brace counteracts the vicious cycle of progression by reversing asymmetrical loading.
Physiotherapy Scoliosis Specific Exercises (PSSE)
Nikos Karavidas, PT:
PSSE-Schroth Method, How to Safely Get Max Correction for Scoliosis Curve Types
This video explains the rationale behind conservative exercise methods like Schroth, which are often used in combination with bracing. PSSE focuses on unloading the spine and training the patient for activities of daily living to reduce future complications.
Phase 3:
Understanding Advanced Surgical Options
Vertebral Body Tethering (VBT)
Dr. Amer Samdani, MD: Advancements in Non-Fusion Scoliosis Vertebral Body Tethering Surgery
VBT (or ASC) is a non-fusion alternative highly sought after by parents who want to preserve motion. Dr. Samdani (a key pioneer in this area) explains the rationale for VBT—harnessing remaining growth to correct the curve over time. This is vital information if you are considering non-fusion surgery.
Fusion, Tethering, and Newer Devices (ApiFix)
Dr. Baron Lonner:
Innovative Procedures for Scoliosis in Children and Adults
This interview provides a comprehensive overview of multiple surgical options—from standard fusion to newer non-fusion techniques like VBT, ASC, and ApiFix—highlighting the difference in approach, blood loss, and recovery time. It addresses the trend of customized, precision-based treatment aligned with the patient's goals.
Hybrid Vertebral Body Tethering
Dr. Per Trobisch, MD:
500 VBT Surgeries Lessons Learned, Hybrid VBT with Apical Fusion Scoliosis Surgery
Dr. Trobisch developed a hybrid VBT technique utilizing apical fusion to address the high tether breakage rate. This innovative approach involves surgically fusing the stiff apical disc, often using a cage which stabilizes the central portion of the curve. By fusing this single, unhealthy segment, the technique significantly reduces the mechanical tension required on the rest of the remaining tethered levels, resulting in a 90% reduction in tether breakage rate in early results
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