A 30-year-old female who had scoliosis surgery during her teenage years now presents with increasing back pain over the past few months. What could be the potential causes, and what are the next steps?
There could be several causes for her pain, such as degenerative disc disease, hardware complication from the previous surgery, or progression of a curve in a part of her spine that wasn't included in the initial surgery. An X-ray or possibly an MRI of her spine would be a reasonable next step, as well as a thorough physical examination to check for any neurological signs.