“Is scoliosis surgery life threatening?”
I have scoliosis and will have surgery. I am afraid. Is scoliosis surgery life threatening?
5 Answers
There are always risks, even of dying with any surgery.
But, overall, the risk is very, very low.
But, overall, the risk is very, very low.
In general, scoliosis surgery is very safe. It’s safer than driving in a car perhaps. There’s a whole spectrum of scoliosis surgery. Ultimately, it is your surgeon who should be answering this question for you.
Any surgery can be life-threatening. There are always risks with general anesthesia and a surgical procedure. However, odds are very low that a life-threatening event would occur, probably less than 0.5%. Be sure to ask your surgeon this question, and he or she will go over all of the risks and benefits of the surgery with you.
Hope it helps!!
Dr. Bose
Hope it helps!!
Dr. Bose
Hello and good day. Thanks for sharing your scoliosis question with the FATD community. Please allow me to offer my thoughts, tips and suggestions regarding your question.
Scoliosis surgery should be performed by an experienced spine specialist that does these types of surgery often. The construct they create and the fixation is strong and stable. As long as you are a strong person and had a medical clearance, there is low likelihood that you will lose your life as a direct result of scoliosis surgery. At times, if the spine deformity is bad, some of the nerves can get cut or stretched, which can lead to sensory changes and sometimes motor changes (difficulty walking or abnormal feelings), but rarely death.
Once the pain subsides, which is different for everyone, you should be able to get out of bed. The longer you are in bed, the more muscle strength and girth is lost. In addition, people in bed for too long get compromised blood circulation and can develop blood clots in the legs. These are dangerous. So, by day one you should be in a chair, and then practice ambulating with assistance by day 1-2.
Once the pain is subsiding, I believe in following steps to help you recover to an optimal point. I like to follow these steps:
https://www.pop-doc.com/joint-preactive.html
Becoming flexible, strong and conditioned is the best way to optimize a surgery like this. Finding a good practice that helps, and then making a routine to preserve good bodily health in your life, will give you a pain-free existence for a long time.
I am optimistic that if you follow these suggestions, you will feel better and recover from surgery.
I hope this helps. Stay optimistic and trust your surgeon.
Scoliosis surgery should be performed by an experienced spine specialist that does these types of surgery often. The construct they create and the fixation is strong and stable. As long as you are a strong person and had a medical clearance, there is low likelihood that you will lose your life as a direct result of scoliosis surgery. At times, if the spine deformity is bad, some of the nerves can get cut or stretched, which can lead to sensory changes and sometimes motor changes (difficulty walking or abnormal feelings), but rarely death.
Once the pain subsides, which is different for everyone, you should be able to get out of bed. The longer you are in bed, the more muscle strength and girth is lost. In addition, people in bed for too long get compromised blood circulation and can develop blood clots in the legs. These are dangerous. So, by day one you should be in a chair, and then practice ambulating with assistance by day 1-2.
Once the pain is subsiding, I believe in following steps to help you recover to an optimal point. I like to follow these steps:
https://www.pop-doc.com/joint-preactive.html
Becoming flexible, strong and conditioned is the best way to optimize a surgery like this. Finding a good practice that helps, and then making a routine to preserve good bodily health in your life, will give you a pain-free existence for a long time.
I am optimistic that if you follow these suggestions, you will feel better and recover from surgery.
I hope this helps. Stay optimistic and trust your surgeon.
Anything can happen with any surgery but surgery including scoliosis is quite safe
