A lot of us blame our back and neck pain to poor posture but for some women, the culprit is much worse.
Tina Dooling walks a little slower these days, but she is just happy to be upright.
Tina suffers from scoliosis.
The spine normally has a slight curve, but from x-rays, you can see Tina’s is bent more than 50 degrees.
Her condition made surgery a necessity but the procedure used to be too difficult for adults.
New technology makes it possible to pin metal bars on the spine to straighten it kind of like braces on teeth.
"It’s not cosmetic surgery. We don't make spines pretty and straight. We do this because people's pain symptoms are really impacting their quality of life," says, spine surgeon, Dr. Edward Hostin.
The healing process can take up to a year, however, doctors say Tina will have to avoid work that stresses the spine and contact sports.
Technology Helps Patients with Scoliosis