Scoliosis and Spine Care

When children have a spinal injury or condition, it can affect every aspect of their lives. We understand how difficult that can be, and we're here to help. Our spinal experts use the most innovative treatments to help children move more freely, with less pain.

Choosing Cook Children's for pediatric spine care

Cook Children's is a leader in pediatric spinal care. We treat hundreds of children with scoliosis and other spine conditions each year. When your child comes to us for spinal treatment, you can expect:

Leading care: Our highly trained spine specialists are nationally recognized for their expertise. We're dedicated to providing the best care - and best outcomes - for each child we treat.
Expert diagnosis: We know how critical it is to accurately assess a child's spine prior to treatment. In addition to standard X-ray, CT and MRI, we use a system called EOS to take full spine images. This scanner provides us with detailed 2D and 3D images while exposing your child to less radiation.
Range of advanced options: Most children we see don't require surgery as part of their treatment. For scoliosis and other spine conditions, we recommend noninvasive care such as bracing whenever possible.
Innovative surgical techniques: Sometimes surgery does provide the best option for your child. Since young spines are still growing, these surgeries become more complicated. Our board-certified pediatric spine surgeons are up to the challenge, with expertise in operations that protect growth. After placing supportive rods, they can lengthen them as needed with magnets, avoiding the need for repeat surgery.
Dedicated nurse coordinator: Our spine coordinator nurse works with each family throughout treatment. They're here to help you navigate our clinics, coordinate care among specialists and educate you about your child's diagnosis and care.
Specialized pain management: Spinal conditions can cause children pain, as can receiving treatment. Our pediatric pain management clinic works with children to help them feel more comfortable as they heal. We offer a wide range of options for this care, including medications, biofeedback, acupuncture, massage and relaxation therapy.
Support for the whole family: Helping your child understand the need to wear a brace or have back surgery can be difficult. Our Child Life specialists can help your family navigate these tricky conversations. We also offer a monthly scoliosis support group to allow families to share and learn from each other's experiences.

Spine conditions we treat

Our expert team is equipped to treat any type of spinal condition in children and teens - even the most rare and complicated cases. Our areas of expertise include:

Scoliosis (infantile scoliosis and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis)
Spinal disorders
- Spinal issues related to cerebral palsy
- Kyphosis
Spondylosis
Spondylolisthesis
Traumatic spinal injury

Pediatric spine treatment

No two children are alike. That's why we develop an individualized treatment plan for each child's diagnosis and stage of development. While we try to avoid surgery when possible, many children may need a combination of therapies. We always take your family's needs - including limits on times and finances - into consideration when creating your child's treatment plan.

Nonsurgical approaches

Many spine conditions - including most types of scoliosis - can be corrected without surgery. Our pediatric spine specialists work closely with our orthotics and prosthesis experts. Together, they provide custom braces to help realign your child's spine. Our bracing options include:

Mehta casting for children with infantile scoliosis
Scoliosis braces for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, such as:
- Boston brace
- Charleston bending brace
- Providence brace
- Rigo Cheneau brace
Halo-gravity traction, another method for gradually stretching the spine. Children stay in our medical center for several weeks after having the halo temporarily attached to their head. A pulley system attaches to the halo and slowly increases the connected weight to stretch the spine into alignment. While we may recommend this treatment on its own, it's often used to better prepare the spine for later surgery.

Exercise and rehabilitation programs are also an important part of our pediatric spine care. Our physical therapists work with children, teaching them how to strengthen their back muscles. Stronger muscles surrounding and supporting the spine can help relieve pain and improve movement.

Surgical techniques

Our pediatric spine surgeons use the most advanced surgical techniques and technology. Often, they work with neurosurgeons at Cook Children's to safely perform complicated spine surgeries. Our innovative surgical care includes:

Intraoperative navigation: This technology creates a virtual, 3D model of your child's spine to use during surgery. It allows the surgeon to accurately place spinal implants while lowering the risk to surrounding nerves, blood vessels and the spinal cord. It also reduces the amount of radiation your child is exposed to in the operating room.
Intraoperative traction: This system helps position the spine and hold it in proper alignment during especially delicate surgeries.
Magnetic lengthening rods: These devices allow us to perform growth-sparing surgeries. A surgeon implants special supports on either side of the spine. Later, doctors use a magnet at follow-up visits to lengthen the supports as your child grows.
Spinal fusion: We use this surgical technique to correct severe spinal curves. Learn more about spinal fusion.

Halo-Gravity-Traction

At 3 months old Rayden, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1, which caused spinal scoliosis so severe he had difficulty eating and swallowing or even sitting up straight. Thanks to Halo-Gravity-Traction at Cook Children's, doctors were able straighten his spine. The result? According to his parents, "It's amazing." And seeing all the things Rayden can do now, that's the best word to describe it.

A Rayden, de 3 meses de edad, le diagnosticaron atrofia muscular espinal tipo 1, que le causaba escoliosis espinal tan grave que tenía dificultades para comer y tragar o incluso para sentarse derecho. Gracias a Halo-Gravity-Traction en Cook Children's, los médicos pudieron enderezar su columna. ¿El resultado? Según sus padres, "es asombroso". Y viendo todas las cosas que Rayden puede hacer ahora, esa es la mejor palabra para describirlo.

3D models for spine and other orthopedic care

Our orthopedic surgeons mainly use 3D modeling for scoliosis, where the surgery requires great precision - especially for severe curves. With 3D models, surgeons gain a complete, 360-degree view of the spine before heading into the operating room. Your child's surgeon can flip the model around and study it from every angle. Seeing the spine from front to back and on both sides, helps create a safe and accurate surgery plan.

Learn more

Get to know our spine care team

Our pediatric spine and scoliosis specialists are experts at treating all types of spine conditions in growing children and teens. Our advanced knowledge means better care for your child.

Your Scoliosis and Spine Care team

Ronald Burke, MD

Orthopedics

4.9 out of 5

40 Ratings

Accepting new patients

682-885-4405

David Gray, MD

Orthopedics

4.9 out of 5

76 Ratings

Accepting new patients

682-885-4405

Lauren LaMont, MD

Orthopedics

5.0 out of 5

42 Ratings

Accepting new patients

682-885-4405

Advanced practice providers

cLeitch

Camille Leitch, Physician Assistant

Camille Leitch graduated from UT Southwestern in 2016 with a Master's degree in physician assistant studies.

She is a Fort Worth native who graduated from Southwest Christian School. She then attended Texas A&M University, receiving her undergraduate degree in biology in 2012. She returned back to Fort Worth to work at Cook Children's as an emergency department scribe prior to starting physician assistant training at UT Southwestern. During her tenure as an ED scribe, Camille suffered a torn ACL and three fractures while playing soccer, sparking her interest in orthopedics.

Camille joined the Cook Children's Orthopedic team in 2017, working directly with Dr. Ronald Burke. She primarily sees patients at the Walsh, Southwest, and Dodson locations. She enjoys helping children and teens return to the activities they love to participate in.

She and her husband, Jeremy- a geologist, reside in Fort Worth with their two dogs. In their free time, they love to golf, ski, and cycle.

tEdwards

Torrie Edwards, Nurse Practioner

Torrie Edwards is a 2009 graduate of Baylor University with her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She started off her nursing career as an inpatient nurse at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas on the Hematology/Oncology unit and eventually found her way to Children's Medical Center in Dallas where she worked in the Department of Orthopedics. This is where her interest in pediatric orthopedics began and in 2011 she began her studies to become a nurse practitioner at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Torrie is a Fort Worth native and once she completed her nurse practitioner training, she headed back home to Fort Worth and began working in the department of Orthopedics at Cook Children's Medical Center in 2014.

She works directly with Dr. David Gray and sees patients at the Dodson and Southwest locations. She enjoys caring for pediatric patients and their families and watching them return to their activities.

In her free time, Torrie enjoys traveling and spending time with her dog – a very active Labrador retriever.

Jennifer Nance

Jennifer Nance, DNP, CPNP, RN

Jennifer grew up in North Texas and attended Texas Tech University to play golf there. She got her masters and doctorate degrees in Cleveland Ohio at Case Western Reserve University and has been practicing Pediatric Orthopedics for the past 17 years, most recently at Children's Hospital Colorado. She is married with two dogs who enjoy playing and adventuring the outdoors!

Complex surgery support group

Meet other families and learn more about medically complex orthopedic surgery. These will meet at 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of February, April, July and October.

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SOS: Spotlight on Scoliosis

This group offers support and events for patients and family members. Please contact or our Parents as Partners team, parents@cookchildrens.org or 682-885-7123, for additional information on our events and support group programs.

Scoliosis and Spine Care

Choosing Cook Children's for pediatric spine care

Spine conditions we treat

Pediatric spine treatment

Nonsurgical approaches

Surgical techniques

Halo-Gravity-Traction

3D models for spine and other orthopedic care

Get to know our spine care team

Your Scoliosis and Spine Care team

Ronald Burke, MD

David Gray, MD

Lauren LaMont, MD

Advanced practice providers

Camille Leitch, Physician Assistant

Torrie Edwards, Nurse Practioner

Jennifer Nance, DNP, CPNP, RN

Complex surgery support group

SOS: Spotlight on Scoliosis

We're here to help