What is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine that affects 2 to 4% of the population. This condition usually goes unnoticed, especially as it rarely causes problems in the early years. It can begin in infancy, childhood or adulthood, but is usually seen in adolescents. Although this condition can occur in both males and females, it is about ten times more common in females. 

The scoliosis curvature is often shaped like the letter S or C, and the spine is sometimes also twisted.

Parents may see an uneven waist or shoulders, particularly prominent shoulder blades or shoulders, elevated hips or leaning to one side. The rib cage can also become more prominent on one side, this becomes more evident if you ask the person to bend forward whilst observing them from behind.

What Causes Scoliosis?

In some cases, the scoliosis is caused by underlying factors that can be treated. For example:

• back pain
• muscle spasm
• differing leg lengths
• osteoarthritis
• osteoporosis
• appendicitis

These factors may cause the spine to become curved and may be reversed.

Idiopathic Scoliosis

About 80 percent of scoliosis cases are idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown. There is no research evidence that chiropractic treatment can cure idiopathic scoliosis.

But our treatment can help give relief for some of the pain caused by idiopathic scoliosis. That will help your child to stay active which is important for their general health and well-being.

Adults who had scoliosis as children are more likely to have chronic back pain than people in the general population.

Therefore, the most important thing is to detect the scoliosis in the first place, diagnose the cause of the scoliosis and then treat it appropriately.

Scoliosis can run in families. A child who has a parent, brother, or sister with idiopathic scoliosis should have regular check-ups.