LITTLETON, Colo. — Sophia Clem remembers being 7 years old when a routine checkup revealed the first signs of scoliosis. By 8 years old, the spinal curve had progressed to 23 degrees, sending her to pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jaren Riley at HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children’s Hospital.
Clem, now a high school senior, feared the diagnosis would end her competitive gymnastics and dance career. Wearing a brace limited her activities. The prospect of a spinal fusion — the once-standard scoliosis fix — that uses rods and screws, and permanently reduces spinal flexibility, loomed large.
Instead, she became the first patient in Colorado to undergo vertebral body tethering (VBT), a newer procedure that uses a flexible cord to correct the curve while preserving much of the spine’s motion.
“Because we place a rope rather than a rod, we aren't fusing the spine, and the spine continues to move in an almost completely normal way,” Dr. Riley said. “ I just wanted her to know… if you do this, we're in this together. We're both learning the best way to do it. We're both learning whether it's going to be effective or not… It took a huge amount of courage for her and her mom to go forward with it.”
“Someone had to be the first,” Clem said. “I was excited that I was being able to pioneer the way for so many people in the future who could be in the same circumstances that I was in and wanting another option besides spinal fusion.”
Riley has performed the surgery over 200 times in the six years that have followed. Clem said VBT has allowed her to keep performing at a high level. She just finished her final dance at the Littleton Contemporary Dance Center as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She urged others facing similar diagnoses to trust the process and let loved ones help.
“Eventually you'll find a plan, and you'll be on a journey that is right for you,” Clem said. “Rely and lean on those around you who love you, because they will be your greatest support going through something like this.”
