Problem: Pain from Scoliosis
Result: Back to swimming laps and enjoying life
Like most sophomores in high school, Andrea was involved in many activities that kept her moving. However, she was forced to constantly stretch to alleviate a pain in her back, and ultimately had to stop some of the more strenuous activities. After noticing that her right shoulder appeared higher than her left, especially when wearing her backpack and purse, she visited Dr. Thomas for answers.
In June 2015, at the age of 18, Andrea underwent surgery with Dr. Thomas to improve her back issues. Because her scoliosis was diagnosed later in life, the only option was surgery in order to get her back to normal movement. Andrea’s procedure was a spinal fusion in her thoracic spine from T5 to T12, in which Dr. Thomas inserted two rods and fourteen pins to correct her scoliosis. After the surgery, Andrea spent less than four days in the hospital and then started her recovery process at home.
According to Andrea her recovery time was “very frustrating and painful at first.” However, after a month of recovery Andrea was back to swimming laps and making great progress. Nearly a month and a half after the surgery, Andrea was working as a lifeguard again.
Andrea says, “even though the surgery itself took about 8 hours and I spent half of a summer recovering, it was definitely worth it.” Thanks to Dr. Thomas, she no longer even thinks about her back. “As awful as it is to have scoliosis, I couldn’t think of a better doctor to take care of me.”
As of today, Andrea is living a normal lifestyle while in college. She’s even back to her favorite activities like swimming, biking, running, rock climbing, skiing, and moderate yoga!
Andrea by the lake
Andrea before surgery
Andrea swimming