“Scoliosis” is one of those words that every stops and looks when they hear it roll off some one’s lips regardless if it’s in the middle of a crowded room or sitting outside at a quiet café. Perhaps it’s because of the condition’s relatively mysterious and unknown origins or maybe it’s because virtually everybody knows at least one person with the neuro-muscular condition (it does affect almost 5% of the population).
Scoliosis is technically defined as a lateral bending of the spine that creates a spinal curvature that is larger than 10 degreed, but the surprising fact is that the spinal curvature itself is actually the primary symptom of scoliosis! I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true the spinal curvature itself is the primary sign and symptom of scoliosis; allow me to explain.
Scoliosis is a multi-factorial condition in which genetic pre-disposition and environmental factors combine to generate an abnormal neurological adaptation to spinal alignment during adolescent (mostly females) during times of rapid growth spurts. Thus, the true cause of idiopathic scoliosis is the environmental triggers that activate the genetic pre-disposition and unleash the cascade of events leading to scoliosis brace treatment and scoliosis surgery.
Some of the other concerns in terms of signs and symptoms of scoliosis include spinal deformity and pulmonary function (ability to breathe). While these are certainly valid concerns, the former is primarily a cosmetic concern and the latter is only valid in extremely severe scoliosis and almost never fatal if the spinal curvature developed after the age of 5 years old. In contrast, the very scoliosis treatments that are intended to halt curve progression (scoliosis braces) and correct the curvature (scoliosis surgery) often increase the amount of spinal deformity and further reduce the vital breathing capacity.
One topic under the banner of “signs and symptoms of scoliosis” that receives little to no attention are the quality of life concerns of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in adulthood. Recent research has discovered that adults with scoliosis spine curves 10 degrees or greater scored lower on 7 out of 8 major quality of life categories in comparison to a non-scoliosis adult population. These categories included physical functioning, general health, social functioning, and body pain among others. The researchers even concluded “adult scoliosis is becoming a medical condition with significant impact, affecting the fastest growing segment of the population of our society to a previously unrecognized degree.”
It’s clear that the signs and symptoms of scoliosis are generally dismissed or ignored in the general health care area and a significant number of our teenagers are having their life’s significantly impacted in a profound and adverse manner. Increased scoliosis screenings, both in terms of prevalence and effectiveness, need to come to the forefront if we are ever going to move scoliosis treatment into a pro-active health care model, rather than the reactive health care model currently in place.