Fusion Q&A with Martha Carter - Hardware Removal?

In our April Newsletter, we launched a Fusion Q&A series. Every month since, Martha has answered an anonymous question about scoliosis fusions.

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QUESTION: Can you get your scoliosis fusion hardware removed?

he quick answer is YES, but depending on the type of hardware and length of time it has been attached to your spine, some removals are much easier than others.

For example, the hardware in the original Harrington Rod surgery, developed and used widely starting in the 1960s, is generally easier to remove than the more complex, more contemporary hardware in the Cotrel-Dubousset method, which uses far more screws than the Harrington Rods.

When I requested removal of my Harrington Rods after 21 years, the surgeon warned me that some of the hardware would likely be calcified as the bone will often grow around hardware (Hmmm just got an image... kinda like how a tree will grow around an abandoned piece of machinery). When this happens, the surgeon has to chip away the extra bone to extract the hardware, or just leave the pieces there. Neither of these options are great, but I went ahead with the removal anyway. Fortunately, my hardware was very loose—likely from all my dancing—so it came out easily. Having it removed was a relief, but as some readers already know, the whole story of my rod removal and the subsequent healing journey is the subject of several blog posts! For anyone interested in reading more details, check it out here.

If anyone would like to chat about your own decision to remove your hardware, feel free to reach out!

Also, take note of this free weekly Fusion Support Group online here.