Kyphosis

The Spine Program at Seattle Children’s treats all types of kyphosis in babies, children, teens and young adults. Ours is the largest pediatric spine center in the Pacific Northwest. We offer the most comprehensive care for your child, no matter how complex their condition is. It’s why other hospitals in the region refer their most complex pediatric patients to us.

• The experts you need are here
  • The Spine Program team includes doctors, surgeons, physician assistants and nurse practitioners from Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. For more severe curves that affect the spinal cord, this team works with experts from Neurosciences.
  • We can successfully treat kyphosis in most children with methods other than surgery. Nonsurgical treatment often means physical therapy or a back brace. We have the largest team of physical therapists in the Pacific Northwest who specialize in the care of babies, children, teens and young adults. We also have onsite orthotists to build and fit braces for our young patients.
  • If your child needs surgery, our orthopedic spine surgeons are leaders in their field. They have more training and experience with children’s complex spine conditions than anyone else in the area. Spine surgery for children is all they do. Each is board certified.
  • We offer your child the support of an entire medical center and connect you with any expert your child may need. Based on your child’s condition, we involve specialists from across Seattle Children’s, such as the Heart Center, Pulmonary Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine.
• Our approach to surgery increases comfort and reduces stress
  • Our new state-of-the-art operating rooms reduce stress and increase comfort for your child. The design lets you stay by your child’s side until they gently go to sleep before any spine surgery.
  • Before we recommend surgery, we look at your child as a whole person. Your child’s team will take many factors into account. These include the degree of their spinal curve, the effects on their health and how much more they will grow. We also consider what results you can expect from treatment.
  • We have the technology and skills to use 3D imaging to guide your child’s surgery, if needed. This helps us place hardware, such as rods and screws, with precision. It also lets us see in real time the changes we make to your child’s spine. Based on your child’s needs, we may use X-rays or CT (computed tomography).
  • Neuromonitoring helps us prevent a spinal cord injury during surgery. Our surgical spinal cord monitoring team leads the country in new ways to make back surgery safer.
• Care from birth through young adulthood
  • We specialize in caring for kids. This means our experts have the knowledge, training and skills to treat the youngest patients, from babies with congenital kyphosis through young adults.
  • Babies, children and teens are still developing. When we evaluate your child’s kyphosis, plan their treatment and provide their care, we carefully consider their growth. We think about how growth may affect your child’s spine over time. We also consider how their spine may affect the rest of their development and health.
  • If your child needs imaging that uses radiation, we use the lowest amount possible (PDF) to make the best image. We have a low-dose radiation X-ray machine, called the EOS. It makes safer full-body images. We also have the largest group of board-certified pediatric radiologists in the Northwest.
• Support for your whole family
  • We know it can be stressful to have a child with a spinal condition and to find the treatment they need. Everyone at Seattle Children’s works to make your experience here as easy as we can on your whole family.
  • Your child’s team does more than plan and provide care for your child. We also make sure you and your child understand your child’s condition and treatment options.
  • Care is easier for you because your child’s team members from the Spine Program work closely with each other — and with other programs and clinics your child may need at Seattle Children’s.
  • Seattle Children’s supports your family with a range of resources. Our Child Life specialists, Family Resource Center and Guest Services are here to help.
• Research to improve care
  • Members of the Spine Program team are leaders in research. We are always tracking the results of our patients’ care so we can be sure we are choosing the best treatment for each child. Your child’s care team may ask if you want to be involved in research. For example, we may ask to include data about your child’s condition and treatment in our studies.
  • Our spine experts are part of national and international research groups. These groups study the latest treatment approaches and technologies. Together, we work to find the best and safest ways to care for children. We are part of the Pediatric Spine Study Group, Harms Study Group and Fox Congenital Spine Study Group.
  • Learn more about current orthopedics research at Seattle Children’s.

At Seattle Children’s, we use both surgical and nonsurgical treatment for kyphosis. We have treated hundreds of children with this condition.

Exercises for kyphosis

In mild cases of Scheuermann kyphosis, doctors may recommend exercises to strengthen the back. This can relieve the pain and tiredness that sometimes happen when children are active. Studies have not shown that exercises affect the growth or development of the spine, though.

Back braces for kyphosis

If your child is still growing and has mild Scheuermann kyphosis, a back brace may stop the curve from getting worse. Our experienced team makes braces for children of all sizes and ages. Read about braces and our other orthotics and prosthetics services.

Surgery for kyphosis

If your child has pain from more severe kyphosis and physical therapy or bracing doesn’t help, we offer surgery.

• Surgery to correct the curve and make the spine stable

  In this surgery, the doctor will: 

  • Anchor screws or hooks to the bones in your child’s spine (vertebrae)
  • Attach the screws or hooks to a metal rod and straighten the back
  • Remove the joints between the bones
  • Place a bone graft next to the spine to help the bones grow together (spinal fusion)
• Thoracoscopic surgery

  In severe cases, we use minimally invasive surgery (thoracoscopic techniques) to release ligaments at the front of the spine. This makes your child’s spine more flexible.

  In this surgery, the doctor will:

  • Use special equipment to view the procedure on a monitor
  • Insert tiny tools into your child’s chest through small cuts (incisions) to correct the spinal curve
  • Do spinal fusion as described above
• Surgery for congenital kyphosis

  To treat congenital kyphosis, doctors often:

  • Remove the problem vertebrae. They do this to relieve pressure on the spinal cord that can cause paralysis and help correct the curve.
  • Correct the problem using metal rods and screws or hooks, as described above.