Boy, 11, grows six inches in height after surgeons inserted MAGNETS into his twisted spine to stretch it out

Thaine Marston has early onset scoliosis meaning his spine is S-shaped

He was told he would need invasive surgery to straighten his spine

His parents then found out about Magnetic Expansion Control treatment

Surgeons agreed to carry out the pioneering procedure in Nottingham

In the last 18 months it has allowed him to grow 6ins and lead a normal life

It works by using external magnets to control a magnetic growing rod in his spine - this allows surgeons to straighten the spine gradually



An 11-year-old boy who had a severely curved spine has gained six inches in height after an operation to insert magnets into his back.



Thaine Marston was diagnosed with early onset scoliosis when doctors examined him after he fell off a trampoline in May 2011.



The condition, which causes sufferers to have an S-shaped spine, can result in stunted growth and can cause respiratory problems.



Thaine Marston (pictured with his mother, Paula) has grown 6ins after surgery to insert magnets into his spine

Thaine’s father Tony, 54, took his son to Nottingham University Hospital shortly after the fall when he found a lump on his son’s back.



Consultant paediatric spinal surgeon Masood Shafafy told the schoolboy he would need invasive spinal correction surgery to straighten his spine.



But while he was waiting for the operation, his mother Paula, 45, discovered MAGEC (Magnetic Expansion Control) treatment when she was researching treatments on the internet.

MAGEC works by inserting an adjustable magnetic growing rod into the patient’s spine which can then be controlled by an external remote control.



The rod is then lengthened by magnets outside the body which communicate with the magnets under his skin gradually straightening the spine.



The family showed Mr Shafafy the MAGEC rods and Thaine underwent an operation to have them inserted into his spine at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham in July 2012.



Thaine has early onset scoliosis meaning his spine was S-shaped (left). Surgeons inserted an adjustable magnetic growing rod into his back (right) and use it to gradually straighten his spine



If this procedure had not been available, Thaine would have faced much more invasive spinal surgery which would have involved his back being straightened using metal rods

The rod in Thaine's back contains magnets which can be controlled by external magnets. This allows doctors to adjust the rod without more surgery meaning they can extend his spine very gradually

Incredibly, the schoolboy was one of just 300 people in the world to have the rare surgery and one of the first patients in the UK.



Just six days after the five-hour operation Thaine was back on his feet and recovering at his home in Draycott, Derbyshire.



He has now told how he has grown a remarkable six inches from 4ft 9ins to 5ft 3ins in the last 18 months.



HOW DOES THE TREATMENT WORK?

Magnetic Expansion Control treatment is a way of straightening a curved spine.

It works by inserting an adjustable magnetic growing rod into a patients back.

This can then be controlled using an external control - this avoids the need for further surgery.

The internal rod is lengthened using the magnetic remote control outside the body.

This means the spine can be very gradually straightened.

Usually, the child is required to return to hospital about every six weeks to have their spine straightened by a few more millimetres. This process continues until the child has reached their final height.

He said: ‘I think it’s been much better for me and much better than a lot of people have had before.



‘It’s great and amazing that they got the funding.



‘I felt really, really nervous and really traumatised about it when I was diagnosed.



‘I would never think anything that serious would happen to a boy like me. I was really upset.



‘But after the operation everything is just like it used to be before.



‘I have now managed to have a much more normal life. I just have to be a bit more cautious about what I do.’



His father, who runs a convenience store and post office in Sheffield with his wife Paula, added: ‘It’s changed his life massively.



‘It means there isn’t intrusive surgery every six months and he does not have the same scars.



‘It makes a massive difference. He’s grown from 4ft 9ins to 5ft 3ins already since the operation.



‘It’s taking away all that risk of being in operating theatres and being under anaesthetic and having all those procedures.



‘He was up and out of bed after two days and home after six, much quicker than the other kids.



‘The scars are much shorter. It makes a big difference.’



Thaine (pictured with his mother, Paula, and father, Tony) was diagnosed with scoliosis after falling off a trampoline in May 2011. Following the accident his father noticed a lump on his back and took him to hospital

As Thaine continues to grow, surgeons can continue to straighten his spine. Image shows his surgeon using a magnet to adjust the rod in his back

After the operation, Thaine had to go back to hospital every six weeks for the magnets to be used to lengthen the rods inside his back.



He will continue the process until he reaches his maximum height which he is expected to reach when he reaches his 20s.



Surgeon Masood Shafafy said: ‘The other treatments interfere with the growth and the patients never achieve normal growth.



‘You either have to open them up and have repeated surgery or have disproportionate growth.



‘Without a doubt it’s a really life-changing thing - it’s pioneering. It is quite exciting.



Thaine said: 'After the operation everything is just like it used to be before.' He is pictured after his surgery



Thaine was able to walk two days after his operation and went home six days after surgery. He is pictured just weeks after the operation

Thaine will continue to have treatment until his 20s. He is pictured before his treatment started

‘There’s a rod which has a portion in the middle which has a rotating magnet. When you subject it to a strong magnet, that motorises things inside it and lengthens the whole rod.



‘You can bring the curve in line with the straight rods and correct the deformity.



‘As the child grows, every six weeks or two months you use the magnet to give them a few millimetres more, and you continue to do that until they reach their final height.



‘Not many surgeons in the country, only about four or five, can do this technique.

