Sorry you and your family are having to deal with this. I don't know how his age is involved in the surgical decision... I know that with scoliosis fusions they often wait until you are done growing. As always, you'll be weighing the risk of waiting versus the risk of juming in early.
Ask if there is no possibility of avoiding surgery, is it wise to inject stuff into your spine? I see injections as an effort to avoid surgery. While the risk is low, it is not zero, so as with so many things 'spine', LESS IS BETTER!
Note that these are questions... I'm not a doctor.
As far as prolo and other non surgical treatments... I believe that your son has a fracture, making the lowest part of his spine that is supporting his trunk and head, unstable. He's standing on a broken chair... will it get better or worse? You can paint the walls and wash the dishes, but it won't improve the broken chair.
Spine surgery is serious and the outcomes are not slam dunks. Make sure you know what kind of doctor and hospital you are dealing with... make sure your son is not your surgeon's first, fifth or twenty-fifth anything.
Good luck! Please keep us posted,
Mark
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