A Multicenter Prospective Study of Quality of Life in Adult Scoliosis

Inclusion Criteria: * aged 40 to 80 years with * ASLS defined as lumbar curve with a coronal Cobb measurement ≥ 30°, and either of the following: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score ≥ 20 or SRS-QOL score ≤ 4.0 in the domains of pain, function and/or appearance. * If assigned to surgical intervention (by randomization or patient preference), the intervention plan would include, at a minimum, the Cobb levels of the Thoracolumbar/lumbar spine. Exclusion Criteria: * Substantial cardiac, pulmonary, renal or metabolic disease that, in the judgment of the surgical team, would preclude performing an operative procedure without undue risk of morbidity and mortality * Concomitant high-grade spondylolisthesis (Grade 3) * Prior thoracic or multiple level lumbar laminectomy or decompression \[single or two level lumbar decompression (e.g., herniated disc) will not be an exclusion\] * Prior thoracic or lumbar fusion * Osteoporosis evidence by a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) T-score \<-3.0 at hip or lumbar spine for patients considered to be at risk (post menopausal females, males \> 60 years of age, steroid dependent rheumatoid arthritics, status post organ transplantation, etc.). Patients may be randomized prior to obtaining DEXA results. Non Surgical patients may initiate non surgical treatments prior to completion of DEXA (if required) as non surgical treatments will not affect DEXA results but DEXA must be completed and results entered within 3 months of enrollment. Surg…