Scoliosis

*What is Scoliosis?*

Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. Some curvature is normal to help the upper body maintain proper balance and alignment over the pelvis. It usually occurs in children ages 10 to 15. Scoliosis affects 2% of women and 0.5% of men in the general population. There are many causes of it including congenital spine deformities, genetic conditions, neuromuscular problems, and unequal length of the limbs. Other causes are cerebral palsy, spina bifida,and  muscular dystrophy. Although there are many causes associated with it, 80% of scoliosis cases have no known cause. 

*Symptoms*

There are several warning signs of scoliosis. They include shoulders at different heights, the head not centered above the pelvis, the rib cages at different heights, an uneven waist, and leaning to one side.

*Diagnosis*

There is an easy test to see whether or not you have scoliosis. It is called the Adam's Forward Bend Test. For this, you lean forward at the waist 90 degrees, and it is easy to tell if you have scoliosis by the asymmetry of the trunk or any abnormal spine curvatures. If an abnormality is noted, an x-ray will be performed.

*Treatment*

When determining the type of treatment there are many things that must be taken into consideration. These include the spinal maturity, the degree and extent of the curvature, the location of the curve, and the potential for progression. Once these have been determined there are three main types of treatment. They are observation, orthopaedic bracing, and surgery. 

This is a coronal T2-weighted MRI image showing scoliosis in the thoracic vertebrae.

http://www.scoliosisjournal.com/content/figures/1748-7161-3-3-15-l.jpg