Study Shows Adolescent Athletes Able to Rapidly Return to Sports Following Scoliosis Surgery

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Oct 10, 2022, 12:30 ET

AURORA, Colo., Oct. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The results of a new study recently published in Spine Deformity explore how quickly athletes can return to baseline sports activity following posterior spinal fusion, a treatment option for patients with severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

"It's never easy for a young athlete to learn that they have a serious condition that may require  surgery," said Sumeet Garg, MD, pediatric spine surgeon at Children's Hospital Colorado and Associate Professor of Orthopedics at University of Colorado. "Safe return to sports and other physical activities has become commonplace among patients with idiopathic scoliosis who undergo spine fusion surgery. However, before this study there was no prospective data regarding timing for safely returning to sport."

The study showed when athletes were released to unrestricted activity at four to eight weeks, athletes quickly return to baseline levels of sports performance with over half achieving this metric by three months.

Led by Dr. Garg, the study enrolled 26 athletes ages 10-18 years old who competed at a junior varsity level of athletics or higher for more than three months per year. Athletes completed preoperative sports performance and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical activity, pain interference and depressive symptoms questionnaires. Self-assessments were repeated monthly until one year after surgery.

The study found that the median time to return to sport was 2.7 months. At a year post-surgery, 24 of 26 athletes reported they had returned to sport at their presurgical level of play. Participation in contact sports was associated with a longer return to sport relative to participation in non-contact/limited contact sports. Conditioning and flexibility were the most common barriers to return to sport.

"Sports like soccer, basketball, volleyball, track and dance are all activities in which an adolescent with a successful posterior spinal fusion is likely to be able to participate," Dr. Garg said. "At Children's Hospital Colorado, our goal is to help patients live and play like a kid again. Often that means returning to a sport that they love."

ABOUT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL COLORADO
Children's Hospital Colorado is one of the nation's leading and most expansive nonprofit pediatric healthcare systems with a mission to improve the health of children through patient care, education, research and advocacy. Founded in 1908 and recognized as a top 10 children's hospital by U.S. News & World Report, Children's Colorado has established itself as a pioneer in the discovery of innovative and groundbreaking treatments that are shaping the future of pediatric healthcare worldwide. Children's Colorado offers a full spectrum of family-centered care at its urgent, emergency and specialty care locations throughout Colorado, including an academic medical center on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, hospitals in Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch and Broomfield, and outreach clinics across the region. For more information, visit www.childrenscolorado.org or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Children's Hospital Colorado complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
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SOURCE Children's Hospital Colorado