Teen undergoes spinal surgery to correct scoliosis, receives new lease on life

When Addy Powell walked across the stage to claim her May River High School diploma in June, she walked tall.

Literally.

She had grown 3 inches in one day.

No growth spurt. No “miracle” supplements.

Nothing that simple.

 

In January, Addy underwent a complex all-day surgery that straightened her spine and corrected her severe scoliosis. Performed by MUSC spinal surgeon Robert Ravinsky, M.D., the procedure saved her from possible paralysis by the age of 25. "My scoliosis was so bad that it was considered a spinal deformity," Addy said.

 

Scoliosis is characterized by an "S" or "C" curve in the spine and can range from mild to severe. At age 13, Addy was diagnosed with a mile form, but because she was still growing, she couldn't wear a back brace. Her parents were nervous. "We knew it was not good," said mom, Janet Powell. "Doctors made multiple attempts to perform an MRI, but Addy's anxiety and claustrophobia prevented them from succeeding."

Instead, she underwent physical therapy.

Addy also continued to play soccer for her middle- and high school teams, but by her freshman year, her condition had worsened, and she was having muscle spasms in her left shoulder blade. Her spine was “super-twisted” and curved, so much so that she was unable to wear clothing with a zipper.

“I was in pain, but I kept thinking it would get better,” said Addy, who used a heating pad for relief.

At the beginning of her junior year, in 2023, she went for her sports physical. In colorful teen jargon, Addy described what happened. “The doctor just happened to be an ex-pediatric orthopedist. She told me to bend forward, and when I did, her jaw dropped and her gum nearly fell out of her mouth.”

“‘Am I OK?’ I asked.  ‘Um… no,’ she told me. ‘You need to see an orthopedist and get an MRI.’”

Within weeks, under general anesthesia, Addy underwent a 3 ½-hour MRI of her legs, back and neck. Afterward, the orthopedist delivered the news: Her spine was curved so severely that it was touching her left shoulder blade. She needed surgery, but he didn’t feel qualified to perform such a complex procedure.

“I was 16, and I thought my life was ruined forever,” Addy said.

Janet and Addy’s father, Willy Powell, decided to take Addy to MUSC.

“We knew it was the right step,” Janet said. “My dad had a heart transplant at MUSC, and my sister was a nurse with the heart transplant team for several years. It is the utmost in health care, and they do everything with class and integrity.”

In spring of 2024, they met with Ravinsky, who specializes in adult deformity and degenerative conditions, including complex revisions of the cervical and thoracolumbar spine.

“He told us all about the surgery, the risks involved, like infections, being in a wheelchair –all the things that a 16-year-old doesn’t want to hear,” Addy said. “It was very scary.”

“But then he said, ‘I can do this.’ He let me know I was going to be OK, and he was so caring and sensitive to my emotions.”

 

The surgery was set for Jan. 28. 

Meanwhile, Addy embraced life as a high school senior despite pain and fatigue. She attended football and basketball games, spent time with friends, continued working at a local coffee shop and applied to Clemson University for fall admission. On Jan. 15, she celebrated her 18th birthday.

“I packed it all in because I knew I wouldn’t be a normal senior in high school,” she said.

And she prepared for surgery, doing her pre-op testing, getting the “gross anti-bacterial soap” and planning out her courses for her final semester to maintain her GPA and her class rank.

The morning of the surgery, nerves struck.  Addy said her parents were a “hot mess.”

“We were sobbing,” Janet said. “Even though she was 18, I kept thinking my baby is going into major surgery.”

 Then, as if on cue, Ravinsky came by for the final pre-op visit.

 

“He understood our level of anxiety,” Janet said. “He looked at us and said very calmly, ‘I am confident that I can get you through this surgery safely and  make you better.’ He was reassuring, and that’s what we needed to hear.”

Still, Addy said, her parents notched more than 30,000 steps as they paced the halls that day.

The next morning, she woke up in the intensive care unit.  She said she was the youngest patient by far in the ICU and had tubes everywhere. Within hours, she was standing and walking.

Four days later, having received care from “the best nurses in the world,” as Addy put it, she was discharged. A week later, she walked half a mile around her neighborhood. And on March 17, she returned to school. In April, she resumed working as a barista at The Grind, although with modified hours. “The only thing I can’t do is take out the trash, but I’m not sad about that,” she said.  

Instead, she’s focusing on all the good things she can do, like wear a dress with a zipper, show off her straight spine in a swimsuit and breathe deeply because her organs are no longer “squished.”

Addy is also excited that she can look down at her 5-foot, 4-inch mom and shop for new clothes because, well, she’s now 5 feet, 7 inches tall.

And, she’s also pain-free.

“I’m so excited to walk and stand and do things without having to be in a constant state of pain or reset before I go somewhere,” she said.

Janet seconds that emotion.

“To see her not struggle with pain is such a gift, and I can’t believe she’s taller than I am.”

And now that her spine has healed, Addy has begun physical therapy.

Janet said MUSC has come through once more for her family. “What can we not say? We were so impressed with MUSC, from our first appointment until Addy left the hospital. Everyone helped us at every turn. Dr. Ravinsky’s entire team is the best of the best.”

And Addy? She’s moving toward all the good things in life. She’ll be joining her older sister, Delaney, at Clemson University in the fall.