What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a condition in which a child’s spine curves from side to side so that it looks more like an S or a C than a straight line. These curves can also make the shoulders, waist, or hips look uneven. It may look as if the child is leaning to one side. The curve can happen on the right or left side of the spine, or it can happen on both sides in different sections. Both the middle (thoracic) and lower (lumbar) spine may be affected.
When there is no known cause (as in more than 80% of cases), the condition is called idiopathic scoliosis. It is most commonly seen in girls ages 10 to 18, but children of all ages and genders can get idiopathic scoliosis. Scoliosis falls into three general age brackets:
- Infantile (birth to age 3): More common in boys; may resolve as the child grows.
- Juvenile (ages 3 to 10).
- Adolescent (ages 10 to 18): Most common in girls.
Another kind of scoliosis, known as neuromuscular scoliosis, is less common. Neuromuscular scoliosis can develop in patients with other conditions, including:
Our combined team of neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons have more years of experience treating both idiopathic and neuromuscular scoliosis than any others in the Bay Area.
What are the symptoms of scoliosis?
Scoliosis usually doesn’t cause much pain. Small spine curves often go unnoticed by children and their parents and are first detected during a school screening or by the child’s pediatrician during a regular checkup.
Symptoms of scoliosis include:
- One shoulder is higher than the other, or one shoulder blade sticks out more than the other.
- The head is slightly tilted to one side of the body.
- The child’s body leans to one side.
- One leg is longer than the other.
- One hip sticks out more than the other.
- The rib cage seems uneven or crooked—one side sticks out more than the other or creates a hump on one side of the back when leaning over.
- The arms hang beside the body differently when the child stands straight.
- The heights of the sides of the back are different when the child bends forward.
These symptoms may seem like other back problems, or they may be a result of an injury or infection. Ask your child’s pediatrician about a diagnosis.
What causes scoliosis?
Carrying heavy bags, poor posture, or sports don’t cause scoliosis. In fact, more than 80% of scoliosis cases don’t have a known cause. A child may be born with it or can develop it later in life. Scoliosis is most often seen in children between the ages of 10 and 18, and it tends to affect more girls than boys.
Possible causes of scoliosis include:
- Nervous system problems, like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.
- Inherited conditions (passed on from parent to child).
- Differences in leg lengths.
- Injury.
- Infection.
- Tumors.
How is scoliosis diagnosed?
Your child’s pediatrician can diagnose scoliosis with a complete health history of your child and a physical exam. Your child may also need an x-ray to measure the degree of spinal curvature.
Finding scoliosis early is important for treatment. If left untreated, scoliosis can cause problems with heart and lung function. Health care providers, and even some school programs, routinely look for signs of scoliosis in children.
How is scoliosis treated at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s Pediatric Spine Center?
The goal of treatment is to stop the curve from getting worse and prevent deformity. Treatment may include:
- Observation and repeated exams. Your child will need frequent doctor visits to monitor any ongoing curvature of the spine. Whether the curve gets worse depends on the amount of skeletal growth, or how skeletally mature your child is. Curving of the spine often slows down or stops after a child reaches puberty.
- Bracing. If your child is still growing, a brace may be part of the treatment.
- Surgery. Your child may need surgery when the curve measures 45 degrees or more on an x-ray and bracing has not slowed down the progression of the curve.
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