Anyone had surgery for scoliosis or had a child who has had this surgery?

I have not been in this situation, but my understanding is that the surgery can be painful and stressful. And there's always the possibility of complications. So if your daughter isn't in any pain or discomfort, the scoliosis isn't severe (I know you said it's pretty bad but severe would be considered about a 40 - 50 degree curvature) and the surgery is purely for cosmetic reasons, I would hesitate to get the surgery done.

But if your surgeon believes it should be done, then I'd follow his advice. The real problem seems to be that most other treatments will only stop the problem from getting worse rather than actually correcting it. Reading up on this a little, if her curvature is getting worse, then surgery may be her only option with a reasonable chance of success.

Failing to have the surgery could result in:the chest twists throwing the shoulder blade off in back causing a rib hump and the chest in front rotates as well causing unevenness to the breasts. At the same time the hips at the waist become more uneven. So doing nothing in the teen years may be disastrous.

URL1 makes it seem like having surgery would be a must. But, the complications from surgery can include paraplegia or even death. Unlikely, but possible.

So it's something that needs to be taken seriously, and I would say you should follow your doctor's recommendation while continuing to explore alternative treatments. There's a very simple worksheet here that might help you decide:webmd.com/back-pain/Should-I-or-my-child... for a different take on things, I'd suggest reading this site:ctds.info/scoliosis_surgery_2.htmlGood luck!