TPOC Celebrates Rapid Recovery of Pediatric Scoliosis Surgery Patients

The Pediatric Orthopedic Center (“TPOC”) and Mark Rieger, M.D., FAAOS, hosted “Celebrating a New Era of Rapid Recovery After Scoliosis Surgery,” a dinner to celebrate their pediatric scoliosis surgery patients that underwent surgery in the last three years. Morristown Memorial Hospital colleagues and staff also attended the event, which was held at Ravello’s in East Hanover on November 3, 2022.

More than 70 patients, parents, caregivers, colleagues and staff attended the special celebration, which marked a new era of rapid recovery after scoliosis surgery, thanks to the Rapid Recovery System. During the event, patients and their families were invited to share their experiences with the Rapid Recovery System following scoliosis surgery.

“The Pediatric Orthopedic Center is the ONLY scoliosis group using the protocol in N.J. Further, we are the only N.J. pediatric orthopedic group that uses custom-made spinal instruments for each patient, which further reduces time in the operating room and speeds recovery,” said Dr. Rieger, who is the founding partner and senior physician at TPOC.

"If I didn't have scoliosis surgery with Dr. Rieger, I would have missed out on a lot of field trips and hanging out with my friends. After my surgery, I get to do so much more and I feel so much more free," said Victoria Aquino, Scoliosis Surgery Patient.

About the Rapid Recovery System at TPOC

The Pediatric Orthopedic Center has been offering the Rapid Recovery program to pediatric scoliosis patients with exceptional results: seven years ago, scoliosis surgery that featured the Rapid Recovery System reduced hospital stays to five days. More recently, the hospital stay for scoliosis surgery has been reduced to just three days, and now 95% of TPOC’s pediatric scoliosis patients can return home in just two days after surgery.

Developed in 2015, the Rapid Recovery program encourages faster recovery (and shorter hospital stays) and reduces pain for patients, as well as expedites treatment and restores function— including getting up and walking within hours after surgery.

With Rapid Recovery, PRIOR to scoliosis surgery, the patient is administered non-addictive pain medicine and a steroid after the patient is asleep under anesthesia and just before the surgery begins. The goal is to suppress the pain during the surgery so that the child or adolescent never experiences the typical pain stimulus. This, in turn, prevents the body from releasing chemicals into the body that are usually triggered when there is pain; those chemicals usually cause high blood pressure, muscle contractions and increased pain intensity.

“Think of it like this: It is like wetting a house down before a fire,” noted Dr. Rieger.

TPOC’s pediatric orthopedic surgeon who performs the surgery remains in constant contact with the hospital and personally visits the patient twice a day to participate in their recovery until discharge.

“We had such a great time celebrating our wonderful scoliosis patients, their families, and caregivers,” Dr. Rieger said. “This was a joyous occasion because we had the opportunity to celebrate their rapid recovery from scoliosis surgery.”

About The Pediatric Orthopedic Center

The Pediatric Orthopedic Center is the largest pediatric orthopedic practice in New Jersey and among the largest private pediatric orthopedic practices in the United Sates, with offices located in Cedar Knolls, Wayne, Jersey City and Springfield. It is the only pediatric orthopedic practice in N.J. that provides an urgent care center with evening and Saturday hours. The practice specializes in youth and adolescent sports, trauma, spine deformities, hip disorders, congenital defects, growth disturbances, and foot and ankle surgery. It features seven BC/BE and fellowship-trained pediatric orthopedists, a pediatric specialized foot and ankle specialist, and a nationally certified orthopedic physician assistant. For more information, visit: pediatricorthopedics.com.