Scoliosis is not a disease, but is a term that is used to define a person with an abnormal spine. A normal spine typically appears straight. When the natural straight pattern of your spine is disrupted, it affects certain areas of your back more than others. The most common areas that are affected are the chest, which is known as thoracic scoliosis; or the lower part of the back also known as lumbar scoliosis. Scoliosis will cause the spine to curve in one of three ways. It will either, curve to right, forming a single curvature depicting the shape of a backwards letter C; which is called dextroscoliosis. The spine …show more content…
Less than 0.1% have curves in their spine that measuring greater than 40 degrees. Although, children may obtain scoliosis at an age as low as the age of 12 and as old as the mid years of adulthood. Scoliosis could last for years or last your whole life.
Scoliosis occurs in three different configurations. The most common type of scoliosis, also known as Idiopathic, is a condition that affects those between the ages of 10 through 16. Idiopathic scoliosis may progress during the "growth spurt" years, however, it usually will not continue into adulthood, if treated properly.
Most spinal curvatures are usually detected during school screening exams, by the school’s nurse. Some indications that a child may have scoliosis include uneven shoulders, a prominent shoulder blade, uneven waist, or leaning to one side. The diagnosis of scoliosis and the determination of the type of scoliosis are then made by bone exams and sometimes even X-rays to evaluate the magnitude of the