Our care

Shriners Hospitals for Children offers a wide range of treatment options for scoliosis, tailored to the needs of each child. Learn more about our care through our patients’ experiences.

Jalen

Back in the game

Jalen’s golf career was in jeopardy when she was diagnosed with a 42-degree curve in her spine.

Doctors at Shriners Hospitals for Children used a minimally invasive fusionless spinal surgery to get Jalen back to playing golf in just six weeks.

Sol

Healing with music

When Sol was 1, her doctors in Ecuador discovered that she had kyphoscoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the vertebral column in two planes. In 2007, when she was just 6, her condition was so severe that she needed to use a wheelchair. This was the same year she began treatment at Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Doctors and staff at Shriners Hospitals provided Sol with not only specialized medical care, but also the emotional support she needed to heal. It was through the hospitals' music therapy program that Sol was able to overcome many of the physical and emotional obstacles in front of her. Now at age 16, Sol can walk without her wheelchair and is training to be an opera singer.

Katie

Knowing no limits

In 2013 during swim team practice, Katie’s coach noticed her spine had a curvature that resembled an s-shape. The next day, her pediatrician diagnosed her with scoliosis. “We wanted Katie in the care of doctors who not only treat children, but also treat scoliosis all day, every day,” Katie’s mother said. “That’s why we brought our daughter to Shriners Hospitals for Children.”

Early detection gave Katie a wider range of options for the treatment of her scoliosis. The doctors at Shriners Hospitals opted for a non-surgical treatment for Katie. They fit her with a brace to help straighten her spine. Her core strength and daily stretching from swimming has helped manage and lower her double curves.

Tianni

Believe in MAGEC

Tianni was diagnosed with infantile scoliosis and Prader-Willi syndrome, a condition that made it dangerous for her to undergo surgery. Her parents did a lot of research to determine the best options for Tianni, which led them to Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Tianni was the first person in the country to receive the MAGnetic Expansion Control (MAGEC) Spinal Bracing and Distraction System surgery, a new treatment that required fewer and less invasive surgeries. For Tianni, this innovative method gave her spine time to grow, without repeated trips to the operating room.

Jackson

Cured with Mehta casting

When Jackson was 4 months old, he was diagnosed with progressive infantile scoliosis. Doctors put him in a Mehta cast at 16 months of age, when his curve measured 50 degrees.

Over the next year and a half, subsequent casts were used to progressively straighten his spine. Nine Mehta casts later, Jackson’s spine was completely straight. Since then, Jackson has been brace-free and has maintained his straight spine for four years.

Katy

Scoliosis superhero

When Katy tried out for NBC’s singing competition, The Voice, in 2015, the pre-audition judges never suspected that she was breathless by the song's end due to her scoliosis, a condition she was diagnosed with at birth.

Just a few weeks after her audition, Katy underwent spinal fusion surgery at Shriners Hospitals for Children to correct a 68-degree curve, a procedure that would save her singing career. In just two weeks, Katy was back on stage.

Katy now uses social media as an outlet to share her experiences with scoliosis and to help others. She documents her experiences on Instagram under the profile @Scoliosis.Superhero.

Elisa

Early detection and teamwork lead to success

When Elisa’s parents were told by the doctor at their family clinic that their daughter had scoliosis, they were left feeling worried and anxious. They were surprised by the diagnosis and unsure of how they were going to seek the care Elisa needed since English was not their native language. The doctors and staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children helped eliminate their fears.

Interpreters at the hospital were available every step of the way to facilitate communication between Elisa’s family and her medical team. Elisa’s scoliosis was diagnosed early so she would only need physical therapy to correct the curve in her spine. And, her family is able to participate in her treatment without the additional stress of a language barrier.

Our care

Our care

Jalen

Sol

Katie

Tianni

Jackson

Katy

Elisa

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