What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis refers to the sidewards bending of the spine. This bending of the spine to the side can occur during the teenage years without any apparent cause (called adolescent idiopathic scoliosis or AIS) or it can occur in the elderly (degenerative scoliosis). Sometimes, scoliosis can occur due to other problems such as tumours or other neurological or muscular problems.
There can be more than 1 sideward curve in the spine. This can cause the scoliosis curve to be a S-shaped curve. If there is only 1 scoliosis curve, the curve may be a C-shaped. Scoliosis can sometimes be accompanied by a forward bend in the spine called kyphosis. This is then called a kyphoscoliosis.
Symptoms of scoliosis
- Uneven shoulders (one higher than the other)
- Uneven pelvis/hips (one higher than the other)
- Hump in the back (there can be more than 1 hump depending on the number of scoliosis curves)
- Chest-wall asymmetry
- One hand may be brush against the hips while the other does not when walking
- Pain/cramps of the legs
- Tingling of the legs
- Numbness of the legs
- Weakness of the legs
Types of treatment:
- Physiotherapy
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Brace in some cases
- Injections
- Corrective surgery in severe cases
