New Patients
The Hey Clinic welcomes new patients of all ages with spinal disorders, with a major focus on scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis. You can request an appointment online by clicking here. We have advanced high resolution, low dose X-Ray EOS and long cassette 36 in FujiFilm equipment here at Hey Clinic, which is strongly preferred for you or your child’s initial X-Ray, rather than getting an X-Ray done locally. Angle of Trunk Rotation (ATR) measurements using a scoliometer can be very helpful for screening for scoliosis, and can be done with a smartphone. ATR >= 5 degrees is one good reason to go to a scoliosis center like Hey Clinic to get the appropriate X-Ray, accurate measurement and clinical assessment and plan creation. We can then set up the proper conservative treatment including Schroth Physical Therapy (PSSE), and/or Rigo-Cheneau bracing, and other treatments such as epidural steroid injections (ESI) for our adult patients. For adult patients with scoliosis and kyphosis, it is recommended to get annual follow-up if you had a cobb angle of 30 degrees when you were done growing, or if you are concerned that your deformity is progressing, or if it is becoming more symptomatic. If you have initial questions, you are welcome to text us at 919-790-1717, but just filling out the appointment request form is a great next step to get plugged into great care here.
The primary diagnoses that we offer treatment options for include:
Scoliosis
a side-to-side curvature of the spine producing an S or C shape
Kyphosis (kyphoscoliosis)
an exaggerated curve that causes a rounded or hunched back
Spondylolisthesis
when a vertebrae slides forward or backward over the vertebrae below it
Disc Herniation
contents of the disc go beyond its normal borders
Spinal Stenosis
a condition where the nerves in your spine are unable to send signals properly due to tightening (stenosis) around them
Referring Providers
Pediatric and adult patients with possible scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, or disc herniations/stenosis can be referred very quickly by just clicking on this link. We can typically see scoliosis/kyphosis screening patients 07:00 the next business day – first priority for growing children. We encourage the use of the scoliometer, or the “Level” tool on the iPhone “Measurement” app to measure the Angle of Trunk Rotation (ATR) in the upper thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbar areas. ATR >= 5 degrees for children or adults at or above 5 years of age (“5@5”) is a good general rule, as well as looking for shoulder obiquity, kyphotic posture, and/or trunk shift. If any of these concerns appear, you can refer the patient directly to Hey Clinic, and we will handle the X-Ray, X-Ray reading, clinical assessment, and all of the subsequent patient management and will get you follow-up. Getting X-Rays @ Hey Clinic is preferred, to a) ensure proper x-ray length is obtained (36in vs 17in), b) low dose X-Ray is used, c) ensure X-Ray gets properly measured, d) ensure clinical assessment and conservative therapy is immediately initiated, and e) we can then ensure that the X-Ray and the clinical assessment and follow-up management is completed.
For primary care providers of patients with spinal deformity, be aware that 68% of patients have curve progression during adult years, so annual scoliosis/kyphosis follow-up is often a very good idea especially for scoliosis curves at or above 30 degree Cobb angle when hitting adulthood.
If you or your practice would like advanced evidence-based scoliosis screening training, just let us know and we are happy to help over Zoom, or in person. Good information is also available at SRS.org, and also on UpToDate.com. Dr. Hey has written the Adult Spinal Deformity chapter on UpToDate.
