The NYSI Center for Scoliosis and Spinal Deformity provides cutting-edge surgical care to patients and is committed to positive patient outcomes.
Scoliosis is a common condition in which the spine curves to the side instead of having a straight, vertical appearance when viewed from the front or the back. In scoliosis, there can be one or more curves that often have a “C” or “S” shape. Most cases of scoliosis occur in teenagers, but younger children and adults can also develop it. Learn more about severe, moderate, and mild scoliosis.
Scoliosis most often develops between the ages of 10-18. Boys and girls can develop Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), though AIS curves in girls are 5-8X more likely to increase in size & require treatment. AIS curves are most likely to progress during adolescent growth spurts. In 85% of cases, the exact cause is unknown but AIS tends to run in families with 30% of adolescent patients have a family history of scoliosis. Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) affects children younger than 10 years of age. Since young children have more growing ahead of them, EOS tends to cause faster developing and more severe curves than adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
Children should be evaluated if:
In severe cases, patients may also experience:
It is important to catch scoliosis early and begin treatment before the disease can progress. Early diagnosis can minimize both pain and the effects of scoliosis on daily life. When effectively treated, children with scoliosis can live normal, active lives, including participation in sports. Using state-of-the-art tools and techniques, board-certified physicians at the NYSI Scoliosis Division are able to improve curves significantly. We offer individually-tailored treatments based on the patient’s age, type of curve, and its likelihood of progression. The goals of treatment are to control scoliosis progression and attempt to correct the curvature.
Conservative treatments
Children and adolescents with more mild cases of scoliosis may benefit from approaches such as observation, bracing to stop the curve’s progression and physical therapy.
Surgical approaches for AIS
The larger a curve becomes, the more likely surgery will be needed to correct it.3 Curves greater than 50° often need surgery to restore normal posture. In younger children, curves of even 30° can rapidly progress.
As people age, minor changes in the alignment and natural curvature of the spine are common and usually do not lead to significant problems. However, deformities that cause the spinal column to bend too much can have a considerable impact on quality of life, causing significant pain or reduced ability to stand or walk. At NYSI’s scoliosis treatment center, our experienced physicians specialize in treating a range of conditions that can lead to spinal deformities.
Most often, scoliosis develops in patients between the ages 10 and 18. In approximately 85% of cases, the exact cause is not known and is referred to as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). AIS tends to run in families – approximately 30% of adolescent patients have a family history of scoliosis. Progression is most common during the growing years. At NYSI, our experienced scoliosis specialists treat scoliosis and similar conditions in adolescents and children.
Your child’s scoliosis specialist may recommend one of the following procedures:
Definitive fusion: The traditional and most common type of surgical procedure to treat adolescent scoliosis. Small pieces of bone, usually taken from the patient’s lower spine, as well as metal rods and screws are implanted to realign and fuse together the curved vertebrae so that they heal into a single, solid bone to correct and stabilize the deformity.
Vertebral body tethering: An innovative, less invasive surgical procedure using an implanted rope-like device that can adjust bone growth of the spine during the period of rapid growth spurts when adolescent spinal curvature typically progress.
In addition to definitive fusion, procedures to treat EOS include:
Guided growth treatment: Anchors are placed in the top, middle and bottom on both sides of the spine and connected by rods. The rods slide within the anchors while guiding the spine into straighter position as the patient grows.
Traditional distraction-based treatment: An initial surgery is performed to implant a growing rod(s) on the spine to gain control over the deformity. As the child grows, usually twice a year, the doctor will manipulate the rod through a small incision to straighten and lengthen the spine. This is done under general anesthesia.
Every patient is treated as an individual. We offer custom treatment plans utilizing our diagnostic services to help our patients on the road to recovery.*
Our diagnostic imaging specialists have thorough training and years of experience successfully helping patients.*
Our staff speaks a multitude of languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German and Russian to accommodate our patients of all backgrounds.*
Main Center
761 Merrick Avenue
Westbury, NY 11590
Manhattan
345 East 37th Street, Suite 202
New York, NY 10016
Brooklyn
313 43rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11232
Bronx
1200 Waters Place, Suite M105
Bronx, NY 10461
Orange County
12 Hudson Valley Professional Plaza
Newburgh, NY 12550
Westchester County
360 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
Queens
80-02 Kew Gardens Road Suite 200
Kew Gardens, NY 11415
Suffolk County
312A Commack Road
Commack, NY 11725
