Scoliosis

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is an abnormal curving of the spine. Your spine should curve slightly, but people with scoliosis have unnatural curves to the left and right, forming a “C” or “S” shape.

Scoliosis often develops in childhood but can also occur in adults, most often because of degenerative disc disease (age-related deterioration in the discs between your vertebrae). Scoliosis affects women more often than men.

Coastal Spine offers scoliosis treatment to patients with mild to extreme cases. The practice’s orthopedic specialists can also treat the symptoms of other conditions that scoliosis sometimes causes, like sacroiliac dysfunction, spinal stenosis, and pinched nerves (radiculopathy).

Are there different kinds of scoliosis?

The three main kinds of scoliosis are:

Idiopathic scoliosis

Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common form. It can be present in infants (infantile scoliosis) and teens as old as 18 (adolescent scoliosis). Idiopathic scoliosis most often affects children and teenagers aged 10-18 and has no identifiable cause.

Congenital scoliosis

This form of scoliosis is present at birth, often resulting from abnormal rib and spine bone formation in the womb.

Neuromuscular scoliosis

Neuromuscular scoliosis is a side effect of nervous system diseases like cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, and polio.

What symptoms does scoliosis cause?

In addition to the irregular spinal curvature, scoliosis can cause uneven hips and shoulders, lower back pain, and fatigue when standing for long periods. In severe cases, spinal curvature can affect lung function and compress internal organs. But many people with mild scoliosis have no bothersome symptoms.

Your Coastal Spine doctor can identify scoliosis by looking at your spine when you stand or bend over. They might also order an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan and a bone scan to determine the extent of the curvature.

How is scoliosis treated?

Coastal Spine offers several scoliosis treatments, including:

Observation

In some cases (especially children with idiopathic scoliosis), your doctor will want to check spine growth progress every six months. This is done to determine if your child needs treatment.

Bracing

Some patients with idiopathic scoliosis who are still growing might benefit from wearing a brace to prevent further curving.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy exercises strengthen your core (abdominal) and back muscles. This reduces scoliosis pain.

Surgery

Patients whose spines curve more than 45 degrees or who experience severe pain might require spine fusion surgery. This helps to correct and stabilize the spine. Adults with degenerative scoliosis often benefit from alignment surgery too.

Call Coastal Spine today or book an appointment online if you or your child has scoliosis symptoms.