Scoliosis

General Information on Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a disorder that causes an abnormal curvature of the spine. Scoliosis is very common and is twice as common in girls as it is in boys. The cause is usually unknown, but it can occur as a birth defect or later in life. Once bending over, the result of the curve of the spine can be seen the most. When the curve is in the upper back, a bulge to the right can be seen when the person is bending over. When the curve is in the lower back, a bulge to the left can be seen when the person is bending over. When standing up straight, one shoulder may appear higher than the other or one hip may appear higher than the other. Scoliosis commonly develops in children that have kyphosis. There are three main types of scoliosis. They are: functional in which the curve is caused by a problem elsewhere in the body like one leg being shorter than the other, neuromuscular in which there is a problem when the bones are formed by the bones of the spine to fail to form completely or they do not separate from each other and can be caused at birth, and degenerative in which there are changes to the spine due to conditions like arthritis and occurs in adults. There are other causes of scoliosis, but they are much less common. These can include things like tumors in the spine. There are different degrees of severity as well. Symptoms vary based upon the severity of the scoliosis. Mild forms of scoliosis typically do not produce any symptoms at all. Scoliosis is extremely likely to become worse. The severer the curve of the spine is the greater the odds that the symptoms are to worsen and the greater the odd that there will be more symptoms. In scoliosis where the curve is small an there are no symptoms, the curve is likely to stay that way, but it is important to have a doctor follow the case regularly. Should there be symptoms or the symptoms worsen, the scoliosis is worsening and it is important to get treatment. Scoliosis can become severe enough that begins to affect other organs of the body as well in manners such as deforming or damaging them.

Symptoms of Scoliosis

Some of the symptoms of scoliosis may be:

Abnormal curve of the spine
Clothes do not hang right – one pant leg may be longer than the other or the shirt line may not hang straight around the waist
One shoulder appears higher or lower than the other
One hip appears higher or lower than the other
The head may appear off centered
Sore back
Stiff back after sitting or standing for long periods of time
Back pain – may be chronic
Deformities
Shortness of breath
Chest pain

Treatments For Scoliosis

The treatment for scoliosis is a brace that may be worn to keep the spine straight. In mild cases, no treatment is necessary, but in severe cases, the vertebrae may need to be surgically bonded together. In some instances, a metal rod may be inserted to keep the spin in place until it has healed. This is what occurs in most severe cases. In some cases of scoliosis the problem that is causing the scoliosis can be treated. This is seen more often in some of the cases of functional scoliosis and in some of the cases of degenerative scoliosis.

Personal Experience

Scoliosis - personal experiences