Scoliosis Patient Regains Her Stride at East Tennessee Children's Hospital

Spinal Surgery Relieves Lakota's Back Pain

Lakota was at school when she bent over to get her book and experienced excruciating back pain. The pain had been lingering off and on for a while, but she was an otherwise very healthy 14-year-old. As her back pain became more severe, Lakota’s mother took her to the doctor, and she was diagnosed with scoliosis.

She was immediately referred to Children’s Hospital for idiopathic spinal fusion surgery. “It was a hard diagnosis, and it hit our family hard,” said Lakota’s mother, Tina. When they arrived at Children’s, the Lane family was very nervous and had many questions for her surgeon. The physician sat down with them, answered all of Lakota’s questions and eased their anxiety for the surgery and her future.

On the day of her surgery, the staff introduced themselves to Lakota and her family. Throughout Lakota’s surgery, they were given frequent updates on how she was doing and her condition. “I was trying to hold myself together that day and everyone at the hospital reassured me and made us feel more comfortable.”

After a successful surgery, Lakota was determined to walk the next day and began making great progress with her physical therapists. “Within a few days, Lakota was already saying how much better she felt!”

Nine months later, Lakota is now pain free and back to doing the things she loves, like sitting on the floor to draw and playing with her little sister. Not only has the surgery made life more comfortable for Lakota but it’s also given her a newfound confidence. “Lakota would lean when she would walk and had uneven hips before the surgery, so she always felt very self-conscious. Now, she wants to do things that she’s never done before, like attend school dances and hang out with her friends. Children’s Hospital is the best place I’ve ever been, and I recommend them to everyone.”