Scoliosis is a condition in which there is sideways curvature in the normal straight vertical line of the spine. Scoliosis mostly occurs during growth spurt before puberty and is twice common in girls than boys.
Symptoms
There are no visible symptoms in this particular condition but some of the hidden symptoms which are experienced have been listed as follows:
- One shoulder is higher than the other
- One shoulder blade sticks out more than the other
- One side of the rib cage appears higher than the other
- One hip appears higher or more prominent than the other
- The waist appears uneven
- The body tilts to one side
- One leg may appear shorter than the other
- Severe Scoliosis can cause chest pain and shortness of breath.
Causes
There are different types of Scoliosis:
- Congenital Scoliosis: This condition is caused by a bone disorder which exists from birth.
- Idiopathic Scoliosis: This is common among all the types and known to be inherited from the parents having similar problem. This condition takes the largest chunk of people at about more than 80%.
- Neuromuscular Scoliosis: Here the person suffers from abnormal muscles and bone structure. It could happen when the bony framework in the spinal cord fail to form properly or in cerebral palsy.
- Degenerative Scoliosis: The person with osteoporosis is likely to get affected with this type. Moreover, it occurs as a result of any injury, bone damage or back surgery.
Risk factors and complications
There are some of the factors which pose as a risk for a person to develop Scoliosis. They are:
- Age Scoliosis develops in a person who is in the age range of 10 to 16 years. Commonly known as Idiopathic Scoliosis, it occurs mainly in girls at the time of puberty.
- Osteoporosis The person with this condition stands a high chance of getting affected by Scoliosis.Immediate consultation with best neurosurgeon in hyderabad Preferred.
- Hereditary The person having a similar condition running in his/her family may get affected.
- Chronic back pain Adults who had scoliosis as children are more likely to experience chronic back pain than normal population.
Test and Diagnosis
- X-ray A normal x-ray will detect the development of Scoliosis. It will show the state and severity of the condition in a person.
- Scoliometer This test will measure the size of the hump using a scoliometer. This will not be painful and is a quick procedure.
- Plumb line test This is quick test to check if the spine is straight or curved. The person with this condition will have the plumb line fall to the left or right instead of the middle of the posterior.
Treatment
- Bracing If this condition is developed in a very early age, doctor will advise one to wear braces. This may prove beneficial when his/her bone is still at a growing stage. The braces are worn day and night and stop the condition from getting worse.
- Spinal surgery The surgery which is called spinal fusion helps the person with severe Scoliosis. In this procedure, Hyderabad hospitals doctor will join two or more bones in the vertebrae together. Also the pieces of bone are positioned between spine which will help to prove as a support to the weaker bones.
The spinal surgery will result in some of the side effects like bleeding, infection or nerve collapse. So it all depends on the severity of the condition and the person’s anatomy.