It remains a challenge to treat patients with spinal deformities and curvatures of the spine. The treatment of those patients with scoliosis and kyphosis has made great advances over the last 20 years.

In the past, patients were required to spend long periods of time in bed while healing or wear very uncomfortable casts or braces for extended periods of time. The arrival of enhanced spinal instrumentation, providing rapid healing and strong fixation of the spine has enabled the spine surgeon to virtually eliminate the use of these uncomfortable and bulky devices.

Kyphosis is the medical term for a curvature of the spine when...