Scoliosis

Why Children's Wisconsin for scoliosis treatment?

• Long standing, multidisciplinary team: At Children's, our pediatric orthopedic team provides specialized care for kids with scoliosis. At Children's, we care for 80% of the total volume of children with spine conditions in the state. We are proud to be the only Level I surgery center in the state.

Our Scoliosis Program is the only one in the state that offers experts who specialize in pediatric scoliosis from across a field of disciplines- including orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pain management specialists, orthotists, registered nurses, anesthesiologists, scoliosis surgical teams, and physical therapists - working to help your child.

Advanced scoliosis imaging

• EOS: Children's Wisconsin is one of the very few hospitals with an EOS low-dose radiation scanner. When a child has scoliosis, doctors follow his or her growth and development carefully. One of the most important advantages of using the EOS scanner is the large decrease in radiation dose – up to 10 times less than a regular X-ray, and 99 percent less than a CT (computed tomography) scan of the spine. Explore more about the benefits of our EOS scanner and watch a parent's testimonial video.
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  3-D spinal measurement system: Children's is one of the only centers in the country to use the 3-D spinal measurement system, a system that does not use radiation. This system allows us to measure the change in a child's spinal curve and properly treat his or her scoliosis. It is most commonly used for patients with smaller curves.

• Patient forums and support groups: Led by our Orthopedic registered nurses these forums meet regularly and are a place where children and parents can get some real advice on how to make sure scoliosis doesn't overtake their lives. Children's offers forums that address both bracing and spine surgery, with a wide range of experts available to answer questions, and also patients who can answer questions and share their experiences.
• Research: The orthopedic team at Children's is regularly involved in studying pediatric spine conditions. The team has presented the research findings in many peer-reviewed conferences such as Scoliosis Research Society, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, North America Spine Society, Orthopaedic Research Society, International Research Society of Spine Deformities. Research topics include:
  • Clinical application of Milwaukee Spine Scan in the monitoring of children with scoliosis;
  • Effect of physical therapy for children with idiopathic scoliosis;
  • 3D back contour changing following the instrumentation and spinal fusion;
  • Development of Idiopathic scoliosis model using zebrafish;
  • Effect of torque on the rat tails (2013 SRS research awards)
• Scoliosis bracing using new technology: New bracing using surface topography to improve scoliosis correction.
• Quality of Life Survey: The SRS 22r QOL survey is a health related quality of life survey we use in our patients with scoliosis to look at their overall quality of life.
• Scoliosis Surgical teams. TEAM STEPPS Team Strategies & Tools to Enhance Performance & Patient Safety: This is an evidence-based initiative implemented within our surgical orthopedic services to create high performance team competencies focusing upon patient safety, patient outcomes, process outcomes and customer and team member satisfaction.