Jocelyn Pittelkow was a healthy, active 24-year-old woman who took nearly a full minute to roll over in bed. Driving and sitting for any length of time caused her excruciating pain.
Diagnosed at age 11, Jocelyn had severe scoliosis, a spinal deformity that causes the spine to curve. The condition made the muscles in her back clench throughout the day, filling her body with stabbing pain.
“I was in pain all the time but I didn’t want anything to disrupt my teenage years, so I just kept going,” Jocelyn said. “You couldn’t tell by looking at me that I had anything wrong. But I could feel it.”
Physical activity helped. Jocelyn’s workouts for field hockey in high school and ultimate frisbee in college helped stave off the pain somewhat. But she still needed a chiropractor every two days to help realign her spine. Once she graduated and was working in an office, Jocelyn didn’t have time to be as active and she needed another option.
“I finally got to a point where I realized if I had a family, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my kids,” Jocelyn said. “I didn’t want to be left behind.”
Jocelyn consulted with Arash Emami, MD, a nationally recognized orthopedic spine surgeon and chairman of orthopedics at St. Joseph’s Health. Imaging of Jocelyn’s spine made her realize for the first time the severity of her scoliosis. A spine curvature of 40 degrees or more is considered severe. Joceyln’s was 98 degrees at the top and 103 at the bottom.
“I was shocked,” Jocelyn said. “I could always feel my spine and the muscle knots, but it was really rough looking at it. Dr. Emami said I had been doing such a good job managing my condition, he didn’t want to rush me into surgery. But, when I asked him how it would affect my future, I knew I couldn’t wait.”
The severity of Jocelyn’s scoliosis meant that her condition would worsen, potentially causing damage to her lungs and overall health. Dr. Emami explained, “With our advanced techniques and technology, our team at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center was able to significantly reduce the curvature to Jocelyn’s spine and give her the quality of life she deserved.”
Dr. Emami and orthopedic surgeons at St. Joseph’s Health perform a wide range of spine surgeries, using the latest, minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. This means significantly less pain, shorter hospital stays, and quicker return to an active life. The seven-hour surgery reduced Jocelyn’s curve to 30 degrees, and gave her two more inches in height.
“I’m so incredibly grateful to Dr. Emami for the great job he did, and to St. Joseph’s staff – they were all so gentle with me. Since the surgery, there isn’t anything I can’t do,” Jocelyn said. “I’m a nursery school teacher and I can run around with the kids, go hiking and jogging. There’s no more pain.”
