Long term follow-up of patients with idiopathic scoliosis treated surgically: a preliminary subjective study.

An 8 to 14-year follow-up study of 51 surgically-treated patients with idiopathic scoliosis was performed to determine the impact upon their total life styles, and the differences in comparable but non-surgically-treated patients. Forty-nine per cent were already married and raising families and 70 per cent had been educated beyond high school. Ninety-four per cent were actively employed although 20 per cent had met with some type of job discrimination. None of the unemployed was rejected because of back symptoms. Eighty-six per cent of the patients experienced either no back symptoms or just an annoying but nonrestrictive type of low back pain. Most of the patients experiencing significant back pain were found to have tight hamstrings. Only 4 per cent of the patients required hospitalization for back symptoms and another 4 per cent relied on the use of a lumbar corset to relieve their back strain. Seventy-eight per cent of the patients were quite active in sports and other strenuous activities. Fifty-one per cent of the patients were motivated for cosmetic reasons to undergo the corrective surgery. Postoperatively, 33 per cent were still self-conscious of their scar and 43 per cent were bothered with a residual deformity. Only 10 per cent, however, expressed an overall dissatisfaction with the total result.