Zeeshan Sardar MD. Spine Surgeon and Scoliosis Surgeon

Zeeshan Sardar MD. Spine Surgeon and Scoliosis Surgeon Specializing in the latest and least invasive technologies for treatment of Spine diseases.

08/01/2026

"My curve is only 35°. Why am I in so much pain?"

One of the most common questions I hear from adults with scoliosis — and one of the most important.

Curve size on an X-ray doesn't tell the whole story. Two people with identical curves can have completely different lives. One is active and relatively pain-free. The other can't make it through a grocery run without leaning on the cart.

What actually drives symptoms in adult scoliosis is more nuanced: sagittal imbalance, neural compression, disc and joint degeneration, and how hard the body is working to compensate. When the spine tips forward — even modestly — the muscles fight constantly to keep the body upright. That fight is exhausting. That exhaustion is the pain.

A complete evaluation looks at the full picture — not just the number on the X-ray.

Swipe through for what actually drives pain in adult scoliosis. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Have you been told your curve "isn't bad enough" — but you're struggling? Share your experience below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

"My curve is only 35°. Why am I in so much pain?"One of the most common questions I hear from adults with scoliosis — an...
08/01/2026

"My curve is only 35°. Why am I in so much pain?"

One of the most common questions I hear from adults with scoliosis — and one of the most important.

Curve size on an X-ray doesn't tell the whole story. Two people with identical curves can have completely different lives. One is active and relatively pain-free. The other can't make it through a grocery run without leaning on the cart.

What actually drives symptoms in adult scoliosis is more nuanced: sagittal imbalance, neural compression, disc and joint degeneration, and how hard the body is working to compensate. When the spine tips forward — even modestly — the muscles fight constantly to keep the body upright. That fight is exhausting. That exhaustion is the pain.

A complete evaluation looks at the full picture — not just the number on the X-ray.

Swipe through for what actually drives pain in adult scoliosis. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Have you been told your curve "isn't bad enough" — but you're struggling? Share your experience below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

07/30/2026

"I thought scoliosis was a childhood condition."

Most adults do. But adult scoliosis affects millions of people — and it develops in two very different ways.

Some adults develop a completely new curve as their discs and joints wear down unevenly over time. Others had a mild adolescent curve that was never treated — and that curve has been slowly progressing ever since.

Both are real. Both are treatable. And both can cause significant pain, fatigue, and difficulty standing upright — symptoms that often get blamed on "normal aging" for years before the real cause is identified.

Swipe through for what adult scoliosis actually is and why it develops. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Were you told as a teenager that your scoliosis was "not bad enough" to treat? Share your experience below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

"I thought scoliosis was a childhood condition."Most adults do. But adult scoliosis affects millions of people — and it ...
07/30/2026

"I thought scoliosis was a childhood condition."

Most adults do. But adult scoliosis affects millions of people — and it develops in two very different ways.

Some adults develop a completely new curve as their discs and joints wear down unevenly over time. Others had a mild adolescent curve that was never treated — and that curve has been slowly progressing ever since.

Both are real. Both are treatable. And both can cause significant pain, fatigue, and difficulty standing upright — symptoms that often get blamed on "normal aging" for years before the real cause is identified.

Swipe through for what adult scoliosis actually is and why it develops. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Were you told as a teenager that your scoliosis was "not bad enough" to treat? Share your experience below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

07/29/2026

Most people think of Scheuermann's kyphosis as a back problem. But in significant curves, it can affect the lungs, the heart, and how much physical activity a patient can tolerate.

Lung function is generally preserved at moderate curve sizes — but at curves above 90°, the chest wall compresses the lungs enough to cause real restriction. The heart has to work harder. Exercise capacity drops. Quality of life scores are consistently lower in patients with symptomatic Scheuermann's compared to healthy peers.

After surgical correction, both lung and heart function can improve — though the most consistent gains are in pain relief, posture, and daily function.

Swipe through for how kyphosis affects the whole body — not just the spine. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Did you know Scheuermann's kyphosis can affect lung and heart function in severe cases? Drop your questions below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

Most people think of Scheuermann's kyphosis as a back problem. But in significant curves, it can affect the lungs, the h...
07/29/2026

Most people think of Scheuermann's kyphosis as a back problem. But in significant curves, it can affect the lungs, the heart, and how much physical activity a patient can tolerate.

Lung function is generally preserved at moderate curve sizes — but at curves above 90°, the chest wall compresses the lungs enough to cause real restriction. The heart has to work harder. Exercise capacity drops. Quality of life scores are consistently lower in patients with symptomatic Scheuermann's compared to healthy peers.

After surgical correction, both lung and heart function can improve — though the most consistent gains are in pain relief, posture, and daily function.

Swipe through for how kyphosis affects the whole body — not just the spine. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Did you know Scheuermann's kyphosis can affect lung and heart function in severe cases? Drop your questions below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

07/28/2026

Scheuermann's kyphosis isn't one thing. There are actually two distinct types — and they look, feel, and behave very differently.

Type I is the classic form: the curve sits in the mid-upper back, the rounded hump is visible, and families usually come in because of how the back looks.

Type II is the thoracolumbar form: the curve is lower and often subtler, it's most common in athletic teenage boys, and the dominant complaint is low back pain with activity — not a visible hump. This type is the most likely to progress, and the one most commonly misdiagnosed as a muscle strain or sports injury.

Both types are structural. Neither corrects with posture. And a standing lateral X-ray of the full spine is what tells you which one you're dealing with.

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NYP
🌐 sardarspine.com

Did you or your child get a Type I or Type II diagnosis? Share your experience below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

Scheuermann's kyphosis isn't one thing. There are actually two distinct types — and they look, feel, and behave very dif...
07/28/2026

Scheuermann's kyphosis isn't one thing. There are actually two distinct types — and they look, feel, and behave very differently.

Type I is the classic form: the curve sits in the mid-upper back, the rounded hump is visible, and families usually come in because of how the back looks.

Type II is the thoracolumbar form: the curve is lower and often subtler, it's most common in athletic teenage boys, and the dominant complaint is low back pain with activity — not a visible hump. This type is the most likely to progress, and the one most commonly misdiagnosed as a muscle strain or sports injury.

Both types are structural. Neither corrects with posture. And a standing lateral X-ray of the full spine is what tells you which one you're dealing with.

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NYP
🌐 sardarspine.com

Did you or your child get a Type I or Type II diagnosis? Share your experience below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

In surgery for Scheuermann's kyphosis, choosing the bottom level of the fusion is just as consequential as choosing the ...
07/23/2026

In surgery for Scheuermann's kyphosis, choosing the bottom level of the fusion is just as consequential as choosing the top.

Stop too short — and the disc or vertebra just below the last screw can gradually collapse forward. That's called distal junctional kyphosis (DJK), and it can mean pain, correction loss, and revision surgery.

Two landmarks guide this decision: the first lordotic disc, where the lower back naturally starts to curve inward, and the sagittal stable vertebra — the lowest vertebra still balanced over the pelvis. Evidence from a multi-institutional study co-authored by our team shows that going two vertebrae below the first lordotic disc significantly reduces DJK risk.

Swipe through for how surgeons think about this decision. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian
🌐 sardarspine.com

Has your surgeon explained why the fusion stops at a certain level at the bottom? Drop your questions below. 👇

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

In surgery for Scheuermann's kyphosis, where the top screw goes matters just as much as where the bottom screw goes.Ever...
07/22/2026

In surgery for Scheuermann's kyphosis, where the top screw goes matters just as much as where the bottom screw goes.

Every kyphotic curve has a highest point — where the spine first starts to curve forward. The top of the fusion must reach at or above that point. Stopping short leaves the top of the curve unsupported, and creates a weak point where the spine can fail right above the hardware.

Going to T2 or above significantly reduces the most common complication after kyphosis surgery — the spine above the fusion gradually collapsing forward and losing the correction.

And how much correction is the right amount? That depends on each patient's individual spinal measurements — not a universal target.

Swipe through for the principles that guide this decision. 👇

📍 Sardar Spine | Columbia University / Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian

🌐 sardarspine.com

Has your surgeon explained why the fusion needs to go to a certain level at the top?

General education only — not individualized medical advice.

Sardar ZM, Ames RJ, Lenke L. JAAOS. 2019. PMID 30407981

Address

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New York, NY
10018

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Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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+12129325187

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