I HAD a rod & titainium screws put in my back 6mths. ago. I was diagnosed with scoliosis several yrs. ago. It went from a 27 degree angle in Nov., to a 45 degree angle in march. I also have degenerative artheritis on every vertibray in my back. My problem now is that after my surgery, I have not straightened up yet. I had alot of leakage from the bottom of my spine about 1 month after my surgery. It healed itself after abuot 3 wks. I am wondering if that might be a reason for not being able to stand up straight yet. The dr. says my spine is bent & he hasn't figured out why this is happening. Any input or feedback would be appriciated. Thank you.

When I had rods & screws, L4-5 done, the doctor informed me that since I had previously been somewhat in a bent position in that area, that after surgery, I would still have a slight permanent bend. He said the rods and screws would be placed the same way. Not sure if this would apply to your situation. He felt I wouldn't notice it too much because since I had been that way for some time. (I was not aware that I had been in the position until he had mentioned this prior to surgery.)

Hi Judy Allen, to NT

Degenerative Disc Disease is caused by osteoarthritis in the spine. You didn't mention your age, but this hits many of us in middle age - it's a part of the aging process, and part of the tradeoff we pay for walking upright. Thing is, some people get it much worse than others. Scoliosis complicates things because you're starting out with a physical defect. It's possible (I do not know this) that your discs have begun deteriorating, causing your spine to shift further, and the procedure halted that progression (kind of what ger was getting at).

If the doctor doesn't know why, perhaps there's somebody he can send you to who may know why, or can find out(?) Has any mention been made of a follow-up MRI to see what's going on in there?

Doc