What type of surgery is involved for a person with severe scoliosis and how long is the recovery.

Neurosurg/ortho: The answer depends a lot on whether nerves/spinal cord are affected or not and how you mean "severe" (major deformity versus major pain). Talk to a neurosurgeon or/and ortho spine specialist to get the names of potential surgical procedures for your situation and then study them on the net.

Scoliosis: Scoliosis surgery typically involves straightening of affected segments of the spine with pedicle screws and rods. Recovery depends on extent of surgery, but at least 3-6 months.