William Clark, Jr., M.D., pediatric and adult spinal deformity and scoliosis surgeon at Ascension St. John, does not necessarily need to raise awareness of the prevalence of scoliosis. If anything, he says there may be too much awareness of it—and there lies a problem.

“I see a lot of patients who have been told they have scoliosis, and they’ve looked up information online and assume they’re going to need major surgery,” says Dr. Clark. “I tell them, ‘You’re fine. You have a twenty-degree curve, which is of no clinical significance whatsoever.’ One of my missions is education—trying to change the narrative about what scoliosis is and what the prognosis is for a normal life.”

In his 20 years at Ascension St. John, Dr. Clark has had to dispel a lot of myths about scoliosis, one being that everyone with scoliosis needs surgery. “Most scoliosis patients don’t need surgery,” he says. “Probably only one out of a hundred kids that come in with a diagnosis of scoliosis needs surgery. Most curves fall between ten and twenty-five degrees. Rarely does a child come in with a fifty- to eighty-degree curve that is considered operative.” 

Dr. Clark says one-third of his patients are teenagers or younger children with scoliosis, another third are adults with de novo spinal deformities (aka degenerative or adult-onset scoliosis), and another third have a spinal deformity resulting from prior surgeries. 

“Probably ninety percent of our referrals are from spine surgeons,” says Dr. Clark. “We’ve had referrals from all over the country and some from outside the U.S. We get a lot of pediatrician and primary care referrals, and probably a third of our referrals are second opinions.”

So, what is it that Dr. Clark and his team at Ascension St. John Oklahoma Scoliosis and Spine are doing that is attracting patients from near and far? The key word is “team.”

It starts with a care community

Fourteen years ago, Dr. Clark and physician assistant Jason Gates created a unique monthly forum that gathers the entire orthopedic surgical care team to collaborate on each patient. One Tuesday each month at 6:30 a.m., approximately forty team members—doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, ICU and operating room staff, social workers and others—get together to assess each patient’s condition on a holistic level, taking into account their complete medical history, lifestyle, nutrition, emotional health, activities and more. From these meetings, they determine a customized operative or non-operative care plan for each individual patient.

“The game-changer, what sets us apart, is our multidisciplinary team,” says Dr. Clark. “What we’re doing, at least at this level of collaboration, is not done anywhere else. We’re not just looking at the patient’s X-ray; we’re looking at their psychosocial well-being. What are their needs and goals, what are their expectations, who’s at home with them, what’s their mental health, their physical capabilities, their understanding of their care? We’re bringing all this to the table so we can do the surgery that’s right for them at the right time, that meets them where they’re at. 

“So, when our patients come into the operating room, they are seeing the same anesthesiologists, the same scrub tech, the same surgical nurses. And then they’re going to the same floor with the same physical therapists, the same doctors—they’re getting the same team from initial evaluation to post-op. What this allows us to do is have patients who are educated about their situation. We are setting expectations—counseling and comforting and educating patients and their parents ahead of time. We’re giving them a community they can identify with, be a part of, where they can be educated and ease their fears.”

To support the innovative work of Dr. Clark and his team, the St. John Foundation Foundation recently funded a new Fuji X-ray machine that will significantly improve the efficiency of evaluating and treating patients. 

“This was critical, and we are very grateful for this new machine,” says Dr. Clark. “We can get the right films completed right here in our office, with no wait. This means fewer X-rays because we’re doing it more efficiently. It’s a full-length spinal X-ray that measures thirty-six inches, allowing us to see the whole spine. And it’s low-dose radiation, which is a big advantage when patients require multiple imaging sessions.” 

Advanced technology and the collaborative approach of Ascension St. John Oklahoma Scoliosis and Spine are revolutionizing the concept of scoliosis treatment. 

“Historically, treatment involved prolonged hospital stays or surgery to implant screws and rods in the back,” says Dr. Clark. “We can do really efficient surgeries here in two and a half hours with minimal blood loss, and the patient is home in two days, back in school in two weeks, and playing sports and doing full activities in three months. This was unheard of, say, ten years ago. 

“And with all the awareness about the condition, I’m trying to change the narrative about what life with scoliosis is, and what life after even surgical scoliosis is. We have twenty years [of practice and experience] and a cohort of several hundred patients that are doing remarkably well: they’re playing sports, they’re happy, they’re thriving and living their lives, and now they’re adults with careers and kids of their own, or they’re playing collegiate or high school sports.”

Each one of these success stories reinforces Dr. Clark’s belief in his unique method of personalized scoliosis treatment.

“Nothing excites me more than when I’m in the operating room and everyone in that multidisciplinary meeting is in there, and they all took their own notes about things that are pertinent to them—every one: the nurse, the scrub tech, the anesthesiologist. And you have all these people coming together and doing some pretty incredible things.” 

For more information about the Ascension St. John Scoliosis Care visit: https://healthcare.ascension.org/find-care/provider/1962455725/william-clark