R
ei began tiring easily and having serious back pain, so
his parents looked for solutions. Local doctors offered
surgery that would require six to 12 months of recovery,
which would short-circuit Rei's dream of playing in the US Open
Men's Final.
Online research led them to the Billie and George Ross Center for
Advanced Pediatric Orthopaedics and Minimally Invasive Spinal
Surgery. Ross Center specialists performed minimally invasive
scoliosis surgery on another young patient who played tennis, and
that player returned to the game in about four weeks.
"The Karki family reached out to us because we are one of the only
children's hospitals in the US to provide minimally invasive spinal
surgery," said Vishal Sarwahi, chief of pediatric orthopedics at
Cohen Children's Medical Center. "Our techniques result in fewer
incisions and reduced blood loss, plus more muscle preservation
and faster recovery times. Patients can typically go home in less
than a week, and recovery takes a few weeks — not months."
The Karki family traveled to New York for Rei's surgery in October
2015. The teen made a quick recovery, returning to the court in
January. He is currently the No. 3 ranked player on his high school
team. He has won almost all of his matches, impressive given that
he's the only freshman on the team.
"Rei recovered from surgery quite fast," said Christopher Karki,
Rei's father. "Getting back out on the courts helped him rebuild his
endurance and muscles quickly. The pain he often experienced in
his back before surgery has gone away and his posture is terrific.
His quality of life and confidence have improved tremendously."
Scoliosis
Treatment
Keeps
Teen
in
the
Game
Rei Karki, 14, is serious about tennis. The Phoenix, AZ,
resident was competing and winning numerous
United States Tennis Association tournaments — until
scoliosis began to take a toll on his body four years ago.
orthopedics
kidsFIRST | Spring 2016
12
CohenChildrens.com
