Scoliosis Basics
About 6 million people in the US have scoliosis—that's about 2% to 3% of the population, and although scoliosis can begin at any age, it most often develops in children between 10 and 15 years old.1 Researchers now know that scoliosis occurs equally in both genders, but girls and women are 8 times more likely to develop a curve that requires treatment.1
Scoliosis: What Is It?
Normal spines have 4 natural curves. When looking at the spine from the side, it curves out at the cervical spine (neck), in at the thoracic spine (mid-back), out at the lumbar spine (low back), and slightly in at the sacrum.
When looking at the spine from the back, it should be straight. If it curves to either side, then it's scoliosis. On an x-ray, the spine of a person with scoliosis looks more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line.2
Typically, if the curves are larger than 10°, it's considered scoliosis.3 Four out of 5 people with scoliosis have curves of less than 20°.3
Learn more about the basics of scoliosis in our scoliosis overview article.
Scoliosis Causes
There are different types of scoliosis—each one with a different cause. For example, 85% of scoliosis cases are idiopathic scoliosis (scoliosis that occurs without a specific cause).1 This type of scoliosis can be broken down into 4 categories; the type you have is dependent on your age.
Read about the 4 categories of idiopathic scoliosis as well as other types of scoliosis in our causes of scoliosis.
Scoliosis Symptoms
Scoliosis isn't always easy to spot, but here are the main signs and symptoms to look for:
- body leans to one side
- uneven shoulder height
- rib protrusion on one side
- back pain
With children, scoliosis can sometimes be difficult to identify because their bodies are constantly changing. To see what other symptoms you should watch for, read our article about symptoms of scoliosis.
Scoliosis Diagnosis
Diagnosing scoliosis begins with a visit to your doctor's office. He or she will perform a thorough physical exam and ask about your (or your child's) medical history. Your doctor will also order an x-ray of the spine to determine the location and severity of the scoliosis. In addition, your doctor may also want to perform some exams and tests to properly diagnosis your scoliosis.For example, the plumb line test can check to see if your spine is straight, and a scoliometer can measure the size of a rib hump.
Find out more about exams and tests in our article about diagnosing scoliosis.
Scoliosis Treatments
There are 3 main treatment options for scoliosis: observation, spinal bracing, and surgery. Learn about 2 of these treatments in our scoliosis bracing and scoliosis surgery articles.
Observation is when the doctor closely watches your condition (or your child's condition). Surgery is generally used only in extreme cases when the curves are greater than 50°. This applies to both adolescents and adults.2
Spinal bracing is usually reserved for children who aren't done growing and who have spinal curves between 25° and 45°.2 The goal of bracing is to prevent the curves from getting worse since the brace cannot actually correct curves.2
If back pain is one of your symptoms, you may want to try gentle exercise, such as yoga, that targets the pain. Regular exercise in general is important to do regardless of whether you have scoliosis, but you should always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
If you have (or your child has) any of the symptoms of scoliosis listed in this article, talk to your doctor right away. He or she will do a physical exam, and you will need an x-ray to confirm a scoliosis diagnosis. If you do have scoliosis, your doctor will get you started on a scoliosis treatment plan.
