The management of spinal deformity is evolving at a very rapid pace. Many of the teachings and tenets accepted as dogma in the recent past have gone the way of the medicinal leech, as our understanding of the natural history and biomechanics of scoliosis and kyphosis has expanded. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital offers the patient with spinal deformity the entire spectrum of appropriate interventions, from composite thermoplastic bracing to state-of-the-art spinal implants and intraoperative spinal cord monitoring.

HISTORY

Abnormal spine morphology was first described in "De Articulaciones" of the Corpus Hippocraticum. Galen (A.D. 131-201) coined the terms "scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis." During the Middle Ages, deformity evoked scorn and derision, disfigurement being considered the work of the devil.
Early treatment of scoliosis focused on reversing the environmental factors believed to be causative, such as nutrition and dampness. Later, exercise and a bewildering array of external supports and distraction devices were prescribed. Ignorance spawned a plethora of bizarre management regimens. For example, since scoliosis is unknown in quadripeds, one clinic in New York in the 1870s admitted children for up to two years simply to assure their walking on hands and knees