Ryleigh playing cards after surgery with her grandfather
2020 has been a rough year, but there is still good news out there!
Our doctors and staff at Tulsa Bone & Joint are as committed as we’ve ever been to helping relieve your orthopedic pain. Recently, Dr. William Clark performed 4-hour surgery on a 12-year-old with scoliosis, and it has drastically changed her life.
Before and after X-rays of Ryleigh’s spine
Ryleigh’s mom, Laura, shared that her daughter had severe scoliosis with a curvature more than 70°. Before surgery, her lungs were functioning only at 60%, and her pain and discomfort were growing worse by the day. If left undone, the curvature would have increased and continued to affect her lungs and also potentially her heart. After talking to a few doctors and enduring many X-rays, MRI’s, and a pulmonary test, Laura, Ryleigh and family decided that the best treatment was to have a rod put in her back to straighten her spine.
Laura said she was relieved to find Dr. Clark and heard wonderful things about him from other medical professionals. “Everyone we ran into – other doctors, etc. – kept saying, ‘Dr. Clark is the best.’ That made me feel good that everyone we talked to had nothing but good things to say about him. We are new to town, so that made me feel good about choosing him.”
Dr. Clark, the premiere scoliosis specialist in the Tulsa area, performed a Thoracic 2 to Lumbar 1 Posterior Spinal Fusion with Instrumentation on Ryleigh on May 26, 2020.
After surgery with a straight spine, Ryleigh is standing 2″ taller. She is back to doing all the things she loves – playing at The Gathering Place, dancing, running … she probably shouldn’t be doing all of these so soon after surgery, so shhhhh! Don’t tell Dr. Clark;)
Thanks for entrusting us with your care, Ryleigh!
If you or someone you know has questions about scoliosis, give us a call at 918-392-1400, or Request an Appointment online.
Ryleigh at the Gathering Place a few weeks after surgery
