Norton Children’s offers breakthrough VerteGlide scoliosis treatment for children under 10: two surgeries instead of repeated procedures every six months.

Published: November 13, 2025

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville surgeons recently became the first in the world to perform a breakthrough treatment for young children with scoliosis. The new device, VerteGlide, represents a major advancement that could dramatically reduce the number of surgeries children need and give them a childhood defined less by trips to the hospital.

Like traditional scoliosis surgery, the system involves surgical implantation of two rods in the child’s back parallel to the spinal column. Unlike traditional growing rods, the vertebrae bones that surround the spinal cord aren’t fixed to the rods with typical screws. The spine is attached with screws that allow it to slide along the rods as the child grows naturally.

Think of it like a sliding curtain on a rod — the spine can move up and down the rods on its own as the child gets taller, without needing doctors to adjust anything.

Fewer surgeries, a better childhood

With traditional growing rods, children typically need surgery every six months to adjust the rods as they grow. That means multiple hospital visits, repeated anesthesia and a childhood filled with medical procedures.

With VerteGlide, most children only need two surgeries: one to place the system in, and one when they’re done growing to take it out and perform traditional fusion to help prevent progression.

“Going to the hospital every six months for surgery can make kids really anxious about medical care,” said Kent L. Walker, D.O., one of the pediatric spine surgeons with Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville who performed the first VerteGlide procedure. “But if they only have surgery a couple times in their whole childhood, that’s a huge benefit for these kids and their families.”

Supporting lung development

Because the spine can grow naturally without being held in place between surgeries, children’s lungs have more room to develop properly as the spinal curve straightens. This is especially important for young children whose lungs are still growing.

The VerteGlide system is designed for children with early onset scoliosis, typically those under age 10. Because it relies on the child’s natural growth to work, it’s most effective for younger patients who still have significant growing to do.

Early onset scoliosis includes congenital scoliosis, infantile idiopathic scoliosis and juvenile idiopathic scoliosis.

Leading the way

Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville is the only practice in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio or Tennessee offering this treatment. The pediatric spine surgeons — Dr. Walker, Richard E. McCarthy, M.D., and Joshua W. Meier, M.D. — are now helping train other surgeons around the world to perform the procedure.

Dr. McCarthy helped develop similar technology 20 years ago and has performed more than 100 of those procedures, making the Norton Children’s team uniquely experienced in this new generation of growth-friendly spine surgery.