Treating Children and Adult Scoliosis in Phoenix AZ

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. The normal shape of a person’s spine includes a curve at the top of the shoulder and a curve at the lower back. If your spine is curved from side to side or in an “S” or “C” shape, you might have scoliosis. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), about 80 percent of scoliosis cases have no identifiable cause.

What are the common types of scoliosis?

The largest category of scoliosis is idiopathic scoliosis, a term used to refer to cases that have no definite cause. Idiopathic scoliosis is broken down by age group:

• Infant: 0 to 3 years
• Juvenile: 4 to 10 years
• Adolescent: 11 to 18 years
• Adult: 18+ years

Of these, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common, according to the AANS.

Doctors identify a cause for an estimated 20 percent of scoliosis cases. These consist of different types of scoliosis, including:

• congenital, in which spinal deformities are apparent at birth
• neurological, when nerve abnormalities affect muscles in the spine

What should I look for?

Symptoms vary depending on the degree of scoliosis. Common symptoms associated with scoliosis include:

• one shoulder blade that’s higher than the other
• one shoulder blade that sticks out more than the other
• uneven hips
• a rotating spine
• problems breathing because of the reduced area in the chest for lungs to expand
• back pain

What causes scoliosis?

The cause of scoliosis often can’t be determined. Common causes that doctors may identify include:

• cerebral palsy, a group of nervous system disorders that affect movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking
• muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic disorders that result in muscle weakness
• birth defects that affect an infant’s spinal bones, such as spina bifida
  spinal injuries or infections

People with a family history of scoliosis are more likely to develop the condition. Girls are more likely to have a more severe form of scoliosis than boys.

How is scoliosis diagnosed?

A physical exam of your spine is the first step your doctor takes to see if you have scoliosis. Your doctor may also order some imaging tests to get a closer look at your spine.