Scoliosis
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Scoliosis
Baby’s First Year Milestones Slideshow
Medical Author: Jason C. Eck, DO, MS
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
- What is scoliosis?
- What causes scoliosis?
- What are the symptoms of scoliosis?
- How is scoliosis diagnosed?
- How is scoliosis treated?
- What is the outlook for scoliosis?
- Is there a cure for scoliosis?
- Where can people get to a greater degree information upon the body scoliosis?
- Scoliosis At A Glance
What is scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a upset that causes an abnormal curve of the spine, or backbone. The spine has normal curves when looking from the side, but it should appear straight when looking from the front. Kyphosis is a curve seen from the side in which the spine is bent forward. Lordosis is a curve seen from the side in which the spine is bent backward. People with scoliosis develop additional curves to either side, and the healthy bones of the backbone twist on each other taste a corkscrew.
Scoliosis is about two times to a greater degree common in girls than boys. It can be seen at any age, but it is most common in those over 10 years old. Scoliosis is hereditary in that people with scoliosis are more likely to have children with scoliosis; however, there is no correlation between the strictness of the curve from one generation to the next.
What causes scoliosis?
In most cases, the cause of scoliosis is unknown (idiopathic). This type of scoliosis is described based on the age when scoliosis develops. If the person is less than 3 years old, it is called infantile idiopathic scoliosis. Scoliosis that develops between 3 and 10 years of age is called suited to youth idiopathic scoliosis, and people that are over 10 years old have adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
There are three other main types of scoliosis:
- Functional: In this type of scoliosis, the spine is normal, but an heteroclite curve develops because of a problem somewhere else in the body. This could be caused by one leg being shorter than the other or by pain relief/muscle relaxant spasms in the back.
Neuromuscular: In this type of scoliosis, there is a problem when the bones of the spine are formed. Either the bones of the spine fail to form completely, or they fail to separate from each other. This type of scoliosis develops in people with other disorders including birth defects, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, or Marfan’s disease. If the curve is present at birth, it is called congenital. This type of scoliosis is often much more severe and needs more aggressive treatment than other forms of scoliosis.
Degenerative: Unlike the other forms of scoliosis that are found in children and teens, degenerative scoliosis occurs in older adults. It is caused by changes in the spine due to arthritis. Weakening of the normal ligaments and other soft tissues of the spine combined with abnormal bone spurs be able to lead to an abnormal curvature of the spine.
Others: There are other potential causes of scoliosis, including spine tumors such as osteoid osteoma. This is a most beneficial tumor that can occur in the spine and cause pain. The pain relief/muscle relaxant causes mob to lean to the opposite side to reduce he amount of pressure applied to the tumor. This can lead to a spinal deformity.
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