Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person’s spine is curved from side to side, and may also be rotated. To adults it can be very painful. It is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. On an x-ray, the spine of an individual with a typical scoliosis may look more like an “S” or a “C” than a straight line. It is typically classified as congenital (caused by vertebral anomalies present at birth), idiopathic (sub-classified as infantile, juvenile, adolescent, or adult according to when onset occurred) or as having developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy or due to physical trauma.
The condition’s name is based on the Greek s??????, meaning crooked.[1]
The condition can be categorized based on convexity, or curvature of the spinal column, with relation to the central axis:
In the case of the most common form of scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, there is no clear causal agent [6]. Various causes have been implicated, but none has consensus among scientists as the cause of scoliosis. Scoliosis is more often diagnosed in females and is often seen in patients with cerebral palsy or spina bifida,[citation needed] although this form of scoliosis is different from that seen in children without these conditions. In some cases, scoliosis exists at birth due to a congenital vertebral anomaly. Occasionally, development of scoliosis during adolescence is due to an underlying anomaly such as a tethered spinal cord, but most often the cause is unknown or idiopathic.[citation needed] Some therapists like the referenced Hanna Somatic therapist believe that trauma to an adult can cause, not just asymmetry but an actual curve to the spine visible on x-ray, although no documentation is offered in her article. Scoliosis often presents itself, or worsens, during the adolescence growth spurt.[7]
In April 2007, researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children identified the first gene associated with idiopathic scoliosis, CHD7. The medical breakthrough was the result of a 10-year study and is outlined in the May 2007 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.[8]
Scoliotic curves greater than 10° affect 2-3% of the population of the United States.[9] The prevalence of curves less than 20° is about equal in males and females. Curves greater than 20° affect about one in 2500 people. Curves convex to the right are more common than those to the left, and single or “C” curves are slightly more common than double or “S” curve patterns. Males are more likely to have infantile or juvenile scoliosis, but there is a high female predominance of adolescent scoliosis.
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