Skaggs told Becker's Healthcare Podcast host Carly Behm that one of the most significant advancements in spine care is CT imaging developed from an MRI scan with the help of AI. Called a synthetic CT, this innovation generates accurate, 3D images while sparing children the radiation of a traditional CT scan.

“For pediatrics, this saves children from unnecessary radiation, but if we think bigger picture in adult spine, what it could also do is save people from getting two studies,” Skaggs said.

Skaggs told Behm that surgeons also use synthetic CT imaging for real-time navigation and during procedures.

Skaggs thinks AI also could improve patient safety. He said it could be used to detect early changes in a surgical patient’s neuromonitoring signals, alerting the care team to a potential risk of paralysis up to 20 minutes before a human technician typically would.

“AI really is going to offer us solutions that are better, faster and less expensive than existing technology,” Skaggs told Behm.

Another increasingly important aspect of spine care, Skaggs said, is designing more inclusive surgical tools. Skaggs recounted for Behm how a female surgeon he was training last year couldn’t use spinal instruments he had designed because they didn’t fit in her hands. Through that experience, he learned that one-size-fits-all surgical tools will not be useful as his field becomes more diverse.

“This is going to become increasingly important as we have more women in spine surgery,” Skaggs said.

Listen to the entire interview from Becker's Healthcare Podcast.

Momentum Spine, a graduate of the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator program, is an AI, mobile spine-imaging and monitoring platform. The platform personalizes the monitoring of spinal deformities while reducing the lifelong consequences of repeated radiation exposure.

“This technology is a true game changer, allowing many of our patients outside Southern California to receive radiation-free scoliosis assessments without the need for travel,” said David Skaggs, MD, co-director of Cedars-Sinai Spine, executive vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and director of Pediatric Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's. “Scoliosis can progress rapidly in growing children; this tool allows us to monitor changes closely and intervene early when needed.”

The pilot program, launched at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, centers on Momentum Spine’s AI-driven, 3D-scanning technology, which enables radiation-free scoliosis assessments and digital models of the patient’s spine.

Parents can utilize the Momentum Spine application on their mobile phones to record a 45-second video of their child standing still while the parent walks around their child. This video is then automatically converted into a 3D model and analyzed by AI to determine the Cobb angle—a measurement used by healthcare providers—to determine the degree of spinal curvature in conditions like scoliosis. Both the 3D model and the analysis results are shared with the care team through a secure web portal. 

Patients also get electronic sensors that are fitted into the custom-fitted back braces. Through the advanced sensor technology and AI-driven, 3D analytics, clinicians can optimize treatment strategies while providing personalized feedback to patients and their families.

Traditionally, physicians rely on in-person visits, X-rays and self-reported brace compliance to treat scoliosis patients.

"Momentum Spine empowers parents to partner with their child’s doctor by providing real-time tracking of brace wear and scoliosis progression,” said Elaine Butterworth, RN, pediatric nurse navigator and the director of Patient Experience and Education for the Pediatric Spine Program. “By increasing compliance and reducing the need for frequent in-person visits, this technology enhances both patient care and peace of mind for families."

Patients also benefit from reduced travel—especially for those in rural areas. The app also enables closer monitoring and earlier intervention when necessary.

“Cedars-Sinai is the first health system to integrate Momentum Spine with both 3D scanning and brace sensors into its pediatric clinics,” said Philippe Miller, CEO of Momentum Health. “This collaboration is a significant step forward in spinal health, as we share the same goal—to ensure every child receives the best possible scoliosis care.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Seeking a Second Opinion for a Spine Condition

Spondylolysis—also called pars defect or pars fracture—is a stress fracture, or small crack, in the lower spine that can be caused by excessive wear and tear of physical activity.

Skaggs, co-director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, told podcast hosts Philip Louie, MD, and Venu Nemani, MD, PhD, the condition affects about 6% of the population, causing pain in the lower back when bending forward. But these fractures are not always obvious.

“Most people don’t even know that they have one,” he said, “and [for] most people, it’s not the source of their back pain.”

Skaggs told Louie and Nemani diagnosis and treatment is individualized, and Cedars-Sinai offers various treatment options, including minimally invasive robotic surgery. But sometimes the fracture heals on its own with time.

“You know, parents laugh when I say this, but don’t do anything that hurts,” Skaggs said, noting that imaging scans can be used to pinpoint a diagnosis if pain persists longer than a few weeks. “Use common sense. Give it some time. The human body heals itself.”

Skaggs told Louie and Nemani the best rehabilitation for young athletes with spondylolysis may not involve hours of physical therapy, but instead, much-needed rest followed by a slow return to sports.

“A lot of these kids, they’re not sleeping enough—they have so much going on with homework, et cetera, et cetera, and practice and double sessions,” he said. “You know, we don’t want to throw an extra hour into the day. We want to let them sleep. We want to let them socialize.”

Click here to listen to the entire episode of The Athlete Spine.

When Grace was 12, her father, an orthopedic surgeon, gave her a hug and noticed that something wasn’t quite right.

“I remember my dad hugged me and was feeling my back and said, ‘you have scoliosis,’ I didn’t even know what that was,” said Grace. “I didn’t think it was a big deal, I thought I was fine and thought he was just being weird, but it turns out I had scoliosis.”

Grace, who grew up appearing in popular shows and movies like The Handmaid’s Tale, Young Sheldon, I, Tonya and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, began to notice her physical appearance gradually morphing into someone else.

By the time Grace turned 16, her scoliosis began to affect her work. For red carpet events, she would have her dresses altered so that one side was longer than the other to camouflage her scoliosis. On stage and in front of the cameras, Grace would stand as straight as she could, but by the end of the day, she would be tired and in pain.

“I had started to notice just how crooked I was standing and so were people around me,” said Grace. “I'd get in trouble on set all the time. They'd always be telling me, ‘Stand up straight,’ ‘Stop slouching,’ ‘Mckenna, you're on your mark, but you're all the way over here,’ ‘We need you to stand up,’ and so on.”

As Grace's quality of life declined, her parents could not watch their daughter in pain and knew that if her career was to continue, surgical intervention would need to be considered. Grace’s father heard of the right surgeon for the job: David Skaggs, MD, director of Pediatric Spine and Pediatric Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. 

When Grace met with Skaggs, her spine was at a 50-degree curve.

“What was unique about Mckenna is that her waist really looked asymmetrical, the layperson could see from across the room that something was going on,” said Skaggs. “When she bent forward she had a big hump on her back and she was becoming increasingly aware of it.”

With her rapidly deteriorating spine, Skaggs agreed that spinal surgery was the best option. The catch—she would need to heal and recover ahead of filming for the second Ghostbusters film.  

“She asked me, ‘is there any way I could have surgery and carry a 40-pound pack?’ I said, Of course you can. We'll get you back to filming.”

Skaggs and his multidisciplinary team got to work and performed spinal surgery, inserting metal rods, also known as spinal instrumentation, and screws across six vertebrates to straighten her spine.

“The reason we have surgery and care for these kids is so they can return to a normal life,” said Skaggs. “Now when we look at Mckenna, you can almost not tell that she ever had scoliosis or surgery. Mckenna’s body looks perfectly symmetrical and she’s over an inch-and-a-half taller.”

Following her successful surgery Grace took to social media to share her journey and encourage others.

“Mckenna was a rockstar,” said Elaine Butterworth, RN, pediatric nurse navigator and the director of Patient Experience and Education for the Pediatric Spine Program. “I remember her videotaping herself getting out of bed for the first time, when she was at her most vulnerable time and she not only recorded it but later posted it to help other kids.”

Back in the spotlight, Grace was standing tall and straight—just in time to walk the Ghostbusters carpet.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Supporting the Spine From Adolescence to Adulthood.