With scoliosis, at what point will harrington rods be helpful?

Not Harrington: Most current spine surgeons do not use harrington instrumentation, since there are better corrective techniques with modern instrumentation. With a major curve over 40 degrees, especially with curve progression, most surgeons would advocate corrective fusion.

50 degrees: Generally surgery is recommended for curves that are greater than 50 degrees. While we still use dual rod constructs, they are no longer harrington rods. Scoliosis over 45- 50 degrees is said to progress a degree a year in maturity. At 90-100 degrees respiratory function is impacted. Lesser scoliosis does not typically progress.