Scoliosis

Children with scoliosis have a spine that curves from side to side, like an “S” or a “C.” A curved spine can be visible, causing the body to tilt to the left or right, and it may also cause discomfort. If a curve is severe, it can even affect breathing and heart function, and lead to damage in the joints of the spine and pain during adulthood. Download our scoliosis guide.

Our state-of-the-art Scoliosis Center provides children with the best in diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation of scoliosis.

The Nemours Difference

Our pediatric orthopedic spinal surgeons have dedicated their careers to the treatment of spinal disorders in children. We take the time to explain the diagnosis and treatment in terms you can understand, present all the alternatives, and invite your family’s input into the treatment plan for your child.

Our collaborative approach to care offers the combined expertise of our neurosurgeons, rehabilitation physicians, radiologists, nurses, physical therapists, orthotists (specialists who fabricate and fit braces and other supports), and neurophysiologists.

We offer a full range of services. If appropriate for your child’s condition, these services may include:

• genetic testing
• fusionless treatment
• minimally invasive surgery. With this type of surgery, we’re able to correct curvature while decreasing neurological injury and infection. Plus, your child’s hospital stay is less than the national average.

We are a national leader in the non-operative treatment of scoliosis, often using special bracing techniques (including the Wilmington brace) to control curve progression. 

Our certified orthotists can often fabricate a custom brace for your child on the day it is prescribed by our doctors.

Operating rooms are staffed by experienced pediatric nurses, anesthesiologists, and neurophysiologists.

Our specialists are actively involved in research, technology advancement, and the teaching of future orthopedic surgeons.

Conditions We Treat

• Scoliosis
  • Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
  • Infantile and Juvenile Scoliosis
  • Congenital Scoliosis (vertebral or spinal anomalies)
  • Neuromuscular Scoliosis (cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, syndromes)
• Kyphosis (a type of curvature that causes a “hunchback”)
  • Scheuermann Kyphosis
  • Congenital Kyphosis
• Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis (when one spine bone slips in relation to another)