- What is scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a disorder of the spine in which the vertebrae rotate, creating an “S” or “C”-shaped curve in the upper or lower back. Patients can experience a mild case of scoliosis with little pain or disfigurement or while a more severe case of scoliosis can resulting in pain and disfigurement that can cause difficulties walking and even breathing.
- Is scoliosis caused by bad posture?
Poor posture does not cause scoliosis, and good posture will not prevent scoliosis. Scoliosis is not preventable; however, once it is diagnosed, there are several treatment options that can prevent the progression of the curve.
- Do sports such as ballet, gymnastics, and swimming cause/exacerbate scoliosis?
No research has shown that these sports cause or worsen scoliosis. Keeping the body strong and in shape is good for overall health. When performing back exercises with scoliosis, it is important to strengthen the muscles evenly on both sides.
- Does the carrying of a heavy backpack cause/exacerbate scoliosis?
No research has shown that carrying a heavy backpack causes or worsens scoliosis. However, for good back health in general, backpacks should be carried with the straps tightened.
- What predisposes a person to scoliosis? Is there a demographic that is more commonly diagnosed with scoliosis?
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is more common in females, with an overall ratio of 11 females to every 1 male. Additionally, having a close relative (such as a parent or sibling) with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis increases a child’s risk of developing the condition.
- Is the development of scoliosis hereditary?
Scoliosis is thought to be genetic and tends to run in families. However, with each generation, there is a variability of how strongly the genes are expressed, which determines how severe the curve may be. For example, a mother may have a mild curve, but her daughter may have a very severe curve or a mother may have a severe curve and her grandchildren may develop scoliosis, but their parents did not.
- Does scoliosis always appear in childhood?
Most people typically think of scoliosis as a childhood disease. In fact, scoliosis is commonly diagnosed in the juvenile and adolescent stages—ages 9, 10, 11 or 12. There is, however, adult onset or degenerative scoliosis, which develops as a result of disc degeneration and is different from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
- Is there danger of progression of the curvature after one has stopped growing?
Curves measuring 50 degrees or more at the time of skeletal maturity do have a risk of progression, which is why this curvature degree is typically recommended for surgery. Research suggests that curves greater than 50 degrees in thoracic region and greater than 30 degrees in lumbar region progress at a rate of 0.5 to 1 degree per year into adulthood. Curves greater than 60 degrees can lead to pulmonary functional deficit.
- Can pregnancy exacerbate scoliosis?
There is no evidence to suggest that pregnancy causes curve progression in women with mild to moderate scoliosis. However, severe scoliosis could worsen with pregnancy.
- Can curvatures revert after correction?
Research has shown that curves under 50 degrees in skeletally mature patients are stable. Therefore, these curves should not progress after patients have stopped growing. If a curve was to progress, there may be an underlying cause.
- Are there environmental factors that contribute to scoliosis?
Research into the environmental causes of scoliosis is ongoing and, while there have been some findings, a clear connection has not been established between scoliosis and medications or environmental factors yet.
- What other factors contribute to scoliosis?
The vast majority of patients with scoliosis fall under the category of what’s called idiopathic scoliosis. This simply means that we don't know what causes it as opposed to cases that are due to neurological causes, congenital abnormalities, developmental issues or as the result of a traumatic injury to the spinal cord. In some cases, either the vertebrae are congenitally malformed or congenitally fused together, or the spinal cord developed incorrectly from birth, leading to very severe curves. Typically, there is an environmental cause for this such as drug abuse during pregnancy, or complications from medications and other environmental causes which put children at risk while they are developing during pregnancy.
The information on this website is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding scoliosis.