Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods

Lee Health pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arun Hariharan says there is good news for kids with scoliosis. "One of the biggest things to understand about scoliosis is, A, it's not life-changing. Football, soccer, being a surgeon, being anything you want does not become limited just because you have scoliosis." While the causes can vary, new advances in technology have to lead to many treatment options. "We work together with the brace makers, we work together with the therapists, we work together with the social workers, we work together with community groups in the area where other children have scoliosis and take care of these kids in a multidisciplinary way," explained Dr. Hariharan. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. Children under the age of 10 with early-onset scoliosis may qualify for a growth-friendly procedure. "So, for example, an 8-year-old comes in with a huge curve, you don't just want to go fuse them because they have a lot of growing left to do," he said. Instead, doctors may use a technique called, magnetically controlled growing rods. "These rods go inside the spine. It corrects scoliosis and holds it in place and every few months the patient comes to the clinic and we just put a big machine on their backs, so no surgery, nothing, and it expands the magnet that's inside these rods that allow the patient to grow," Dr. Hariharan said. Using rods and magnets, the new technology works to correct the curve, while still giving kids the room they need to grow. A non-invasive treatment option for kids with early-onset scoliosis. View More Health Matters video segments at LeeHealth.org/Healthmatters/ Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care. Visit LeeHealth.org