Patient Stories
Scoliosis surgery returns Yorkville girl to activities and sports
Date posted: 7/1/2025
Last updated: 1/1/0001
Kristianna Henning, a middle schooler from Yorkville, IL noticed something was different about the way her body looked. It seemed as though her two sides didn’t match.
“I told my mom that my waist wasn’t even, and my shoulders weren’t level,” Kristianna explains.
Her mom, Emma Henning, recalled a visit to Kristianna’s pediatrician a few years earlier during which the doctor detected some mild scoliosis. It wasn’t something that they worried too much about at the time.
Since that visit, Kristianna has fully enjoyed an active life, participating in taekwondo, volleyball, swimming, soccer, and basketball. But, concerned now, and with seventh-grade cheer tryouts approaching, they visited another pediatrician for a sports physical and spine assessment. During that appointment, Kristianna was told that she had a ‘bad case’ of scoliosis and, due to its rapid progression, she needed to seek a specialist’s opinion.
Understanding scoliosis
In the U.S., 2% to 5% of children develop scoliosis, a condition in which the spine curves to make a C or S shape, rather than growing in a straight line. Over time, the curve can worsen, causing pain. If left untreated, it has the potential to impact the heart, lungs, and other internal organs as they grow and become more crowded. In general, a spinal curvature of 10 to 25 degrees is considered mild scoliosis, a curve of 25 to 40 degrees is considered moderate scoliosis, and a curve greater than 40 degrees is considered severe.
Taking the pediatrician’s advice, Kristianna’s parents reached out to a family member who had recently had a good experience with a surgeon at top-ranked Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR). That physician recommended the Hennings schedule a visit for Kristianna with Dr. Monica Kogan, MOR’s pediatric orthopedic specialist.
Dr. Kogan evaluated Kristianna and explained that her curvature was measuring >60 degrees. It was causing her spine to look like an S and that was the reason for her uneven shoulders and waist. She explained that a curvature of that degree would not respond to more conservative treatment, such as bracing, and that surgery was the best solution to straighten her spine and return her to normal activities.
As MOR is a multi-specialty group, Dr. Kogan referred Kristianna to MOR‘s Dr. Nathan Lee, a specialist in cervical, lumbar, and complex spinal deformity surgery. MOR physicians routinely collaborate with each other to provide the best care for their patients, and it is one of the things that sets it apart from other orthopedic practices. Dr. Lee was able to see Kristianna immediately.
On the right track
Dr. Lee examined Kristianna and her imaging. He observed that she had two large curves, one was 72 degrees and the other 65 degrees. He carefully explained that her recent onset of puberty meant that time was of the essence before more growth occurred in her spine and pelvis. Given the concern about the severe progression in her curves and the worsening asymmetry in her back, he recommended surgery.
“I cried right there in his office, and he brought me a tissue,” Kristianna says. “I knew right away he was a nice guy as well as a good doctor.”
The family felt confident they were in good hands. During surgery at Rush University Medical Center, Dr. Lee went to work re-aligning Kristianna’s spine. He used a combination of specialized metal rods, screws, and bone grafts to create a solid, straight spine for his patient. This surgery involved several bony cuts, called osteotomies, to help re-align her spine. He used “pre-contoured” rods, which are metal rods designed prior to the surgery, and he leveraged machine learning technology to achieve alignment goals specific to Kristianna’s anatomy. The surgery lasted about five hours. Post-surgery, Kristianna stayed in the hospital for four nights to ensure that her pain was under control and no complications arose.
“Kristianna was an ideal candidate for scoliosis surgery because she was motivated, healthy, and had a progressive spinal curve that impacted her quality of life,” explains Dr. Lee. “As with all our spine patients, we focus heavily on preoperative planning to ensure both safety and long-term success. This included clearance from her pediatrician, pulmonary function testing, and detailed surgical planning using patient-specific, machine learning-generated rods to optimize her spinal alignment. All of this was critical for durability and a positive outcome.”
During surgery, Dr. Lee and his team used real-time intraoperative neuromonitoring to protect her spinal cord and nerves, and the operation went extremely smoothly. Her alignment correction was excellent, and the surgery was considered a complete success.
Back to normal
Now, just one year after surgery, Kristianna is back to doing most of the activities she loves: swimming, riding electric scooters, and running around the neighborhood with friends. She is eagerly waiting to be cleared to go back to taekwondo in a few months. She has no pain and has grown one inch.
“I just love Dr. Lee,” Kristianna explains.
Kristianna’s parents are relieved to see their daughter enjoying her normal, 12-year-old life, and that she is out of danger.
“Dr. Lee truly has the golden hand,” Emma says. “I have no words to describe the excellent way he took care of my daughter.”
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