Principally Scoliosis is a sideways (lateral) curvature, combined with (rotation) a corkscrew like twisting effect of the spine. Scoliosis affects between 2 and 3% of the population. Among the most severe scoliosis cases, 8 out of 10 are young females.
Scoliosis can affect both children and adults. The most common type of scoliosis in Children is called "idiopathic scoliosis". It occurs at different ages and is categorised accordingly as an infantile, juvenile or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. These categories are sometimes referred to as early and late onset idiopathic scoliosis. It can be detected at all ages but as it is very much related to growth, it is most common in adolescence (late onset).
Until recently, in more than 80% of the cases the exact cause of scoliosis remained unknown; this is why it's called “idiopathic” which literally means of unknown cause. Today many hypotheses are being studied by researchers. The role of genetics and hormonal control of growth are the main focus for modern research. Whilst there is limited scientific consensus on the precise cause and progression factors of idiopathic scoliosis, enough is known to provide effective non-surgical treatments in many cases. The remaining 20% of scoliosis result from various kinds of neuromuscular, connective tissue or congenital abnormality.
There are two main types affecting of scoliosis adults:
i) Adolescent Scoliosis in Adulthood (ASA). An idiopathic curve that is present in an adult but developed in adolescence.
ii) Degenerative De-novo Scoliosis (DDS). A new onset of scoliosis occurring in adult life, usually caused by degeneration or instability in the spine.
The effects of scoliosis can include poor posture, uneven shoulders, shoulder blade prominence, rib prominence, spinal prominence, waist asymmetry, uneven hips, muscle weakness, stunted growth and pain. Less common effects include heart and lung problems. If scoliosis is detected and treated early, patients can avoid or minimize these symptoms in many cases.
If left untreated, scoliosis can progress and in its most severe form can be debilitating condition.
