Musculoskeletal System And Orthopedics Codexery

Scoliosis

A spinal condition with irregular curvature, often of unknown cause.

Scoliosis

Hwhwh27 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The spine in scoliosis deviates from its normal alignment, featuring a curve that is both sideways and rotational, often appearing as an S or C shape.[1][2][3] When comparing genders, females tend to experience more severe spinal curvature than males, at a proportion of four to one.[4]

Quick Facts

Field
Orthopedic surgery
Symptoms
Sideways curve in the back
Onset
10–20 years old
Causes
Usually unknown
Risks
  • Family history
  • cerebral palsy
  • Marfan syndrome
  • tumors such as neurofibromatosis
Diagnosis
X-ray
Treatment
  • Watchful waiting
  • bracing
  • exercises
  • surgery
Frequency
3%

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Diagnosis is confirmed with X-rays, and the standard method for assessing curvature is measuring the Cobb angle.[5][6] For the majority of scoliosis cases, the reason is not known, though a mix of hereditary and external factors is thought to play a role.[5][3][7] The condition most commonly appears during the rapid growth phase that occurs just before puberty.[5][7] The choice of treatment is guided by the curve's size, its spinal location, its underlying cause, and the individual's age.[1]

For small curves, periodic observation is often sufficient, whereas larger or progressing curves may be addressed with bracing, targeted exercises, or surgical intervention.[8][9] Alfred Shands Jr., an American orthopaedic surgeon, found that 2% of his patients had scoliosis unrelated to any other disease, which he later called idiopathic scoliosis.[10] Evidence of scoliosis has not been observed in chimpanzees or gorillas, which points to a possible evolutionary origin for the condition in humans.[11]

What the cited sources add

The NIAMS overview states that scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine, and in most children and teens the cause is idiopathic.[3] The Scoliosis Research Society reports that AIS affects children between ages 10 to 18 and is found in as many as 4 in 100 adolescents.[12] The same source states that approximately 30% of AIS patients have some family history of scoliosis, indicating a genetic connection.[12] The NIAMS document explains that girls are more likely than boys to have idiopathic scoliosis, and having a family member with it increases risk.[3]

The Genetics Home Reference adds that mild scoliosis generally does not cause pain, problems with movement, or difficulty breathing.[7] The Genetics Home Reference states that adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the most frequent spinal abnormality in children, emerges during late childhood or adolescence.[7]

Gallery

Scoliosis
BruceBlaus . When using this image in external sources it can be cited as: Blaus · CC BY 3.0

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "The third dimension of scoliosis: The forgotten axial plane", Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Surgery & Research, April 2019, p. 351–359; "Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis", Genetics Home Reference, September 2013; "Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis", Genetics Home Reference, September 2013; "Early-Onset Scoliosis: A Review of History, Current Treatment, and Future Directions", Pediatrics, January 2016; "Natural History of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015. facts only, no text reused. niams.nih.gov
  4. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Scoliosis: review of types of curves, etiological theories and conservative treatment", Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 2014, p. 111–115; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis", Genetics Home Reference, September 2013; "Scoliosis Definition & Meaning" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis", Genetics Home Reference, September 2013; "Scoliosis - Symptoms and causes", Mayo Clinic; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; Kouwenhoven, "Analysis of preexistent vertebral rotation in en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Junhua Zhang, Edmond Lou, Douglas L Hill, James V Raso, Yuanyuan Wang, Lawrence H Le, Xinling Shi, "Computer-aided assessment of scoliosis on posteroanterior radiographs", Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 20; Wu, "Reliability and reproducibility analysis of the Cobb angle and assessing sagittal plane by computer-assisted and manual measurement tools", BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis", Genetics Home Reference, September 2013. facts only, no text reused. medlineplus.gov
  8. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth", Scoliosis and Spinal Disorders, 2018; "Questions and Answers about Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents", NIAMS, December 2015; "2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth", Scoliosis and Spinal Diso en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Treatment Options Scoliosis Research Society", www.srs.org; Romano, "Therapeutic exercises for idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents", The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024-02-28 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A dangerous curve: the role of history in America's scoliosis screening programs", American Journal of Public Health, April 2012, p. 606–616 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Scoliosis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The natural history of human gait and posture. Part 1. Spine and pelvis", Gait & Posture, January 2005, p. 95–112; "The natural history of human gait and posture. Part 1. Spine and pelvis", Gait & Posture, January 2005, p. 95–112 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. "Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Scoliosis Research Society", www.srs.org. facts only, no text reused. srs.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Scoliosis (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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