Conditions

Flatback Syndrome

The normal healthy spine has a natural curve to it. Several decades ago from the 1960s to 1990s, those patients with scoliosis often had their spinal curve straightened with long metal rods, called Harrington Rods, which was the state of scoliosis technology at the time. The long term consequence from Harrington Rods is that they created Flatback Syndrome which has an unnatural spinal curve that can cause painful symptoms.

It is estimated that around one million people had Harrington rods implanted for scoliosis treatment back then. New technology has now made Harrington Rods obsolete. These rods have also been widely linked to the development of Flatback Syndrome in recipients.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms include having trouble maintaining a proper posture, low back pain and thigh pain. Since the person has trouble maintaining proper alignment, the symptoms might increase throughout the day due to fatigue. Patients might also have upper back and neck pain due to constantly trying to realign themselves. These symptoms can often develop to be very painful and leads some patients to having to take medications.

Causes

Flatback syndrome was originally used to describe Harrington rods recipients (1960s- early 1990s) due to the fact the rods sometimes flattened the normal sway of the spine.

This was due to the rods extending down into the lower part of the spine. The rods were unable to follow the natural curve of the lower back, which caused the spine to unnaturally straighten out. This unnatural movement helped advance the degeneration of discs in the spine. New advancements in modern scoliosis technology have been credited it making flatback syndrome a much less common problem. New spinal instrumentation actually de-rotates the spine into the correct natural position. In a sense a scoliotic spine is like a corkscrew that is twisted AND bent. The old Harrington Rod technology tried to bend the corkscrew rather than have the ability to untwist the spine for more proper correction of the spinal curve.

Degenerative Disc Disease can contribute to the person having trouble maintaining upright posture. This disease is from normal wear on the intervertebral discs.

Other conditions that may cause flatback syndrome include having collapsed vertebrae. Arthritis can also contribute to flatback syndrome and cause inflammations in the spine, which may cause pain and stiffness.

Diagnosis

Most patients with flatback syndrome will complain of having trouble maintaining a standing upright posture. If the spine surgeon determines you might have flatback syndrome, he or she will order a full-length X-ray of the spine. An MRI or CT scan might also be taken to help the doctor better understand the health of the spine and discs.

Treatment

Patients diagnosed with Flatback syndrome will initially be treated with an individualized physical therapy program and anti-inflammatory medication. If all non-surgical options have become exhausted, it may be necessary to surgery to remove the Harrington Rods and replace them with the most advanced instruments that correct the spinal curve.