ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Scoliosis

What is scoliosis?

4 May 2021

It is a lateral deviation towards any direction of the spine, similar to a letter C or S, which affects women more frequently.

Causes are usually unknown, so it is considered an idiopathic scoliosis that is classified according to age, such as child, juvenile, or adolescent.

Types:

  • Congenital: It occurs at birth when the baby’s ribs or vertebrae do not form properly.
  • Neuromuscular: the cause is a problem in the nervous system that affects the muscles.

Signs and symptoms Scoliosis

Most people with scoliosis have no symptoms, although the following may occur:

  • Muscle contractures.
  • Spinal curvature to one side.
  • Deviation of the shoulders, back, and hips.
  • Weakness in the spine after sitting or standing for a long time.
  • Shoulder, back, or low back pain.

Potential risks:

The degree of scoliosis can increase as the bone develops, usually prior to puberty, then slows down until it stabilizes, and increases during old age when degenerative problems occur.

Scoliosis can also trigger:

  • Low self-esteem.
  • Nerve or spinal damage. 
  • Chronic pain.
  • Infections.
  • Low back pain.
  • Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.
  • Respiratory problems.

Diagnosis and treatment Scoliosis

Your doctor will perform a physical examination and order X-rays of your spine, as well as an MRI and CT scan to look at your spine’s bone structure.

The treatment to be followed will depend on your case, but it may include exercises, rehabilitation programs, use of a corset or collar, and in extreme cases, one or more surgeries until the problem is resolved.

At the Orthopedics and Traumatology Center we seek to improve the lives of patients restricted or immobilized by musculoskeletal disorders or injuries. We specialize in the care of the locomotor system by integrating the latest medical, biological, and technological advances, in strict adherence to the highest international standards of patient care.

We put our skills and knowledge at your service to provide you and your loved ones with cutting-edge treatments and highly specialized medical care in the following procedures:

  • Arthroscopic surgery.
  • Partial and total joint replacement surgery (prostheses).
  • Trauma surgery.
  • Hand surgery. 
  • Foot and ankle surgery.
  • Spinal surgery.

We treat injuries such as:

  • Dislocation.
  • Chronic bone and joint diseases.
  • Ligaments.
  • Spinal diseases.
  • Joint replacements.

Related centers and departments Scoliosis

High Specialty Surgery Center
Orthopedics and Traumatology Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • stanfordchildrens.org 
  • kidshealth.org
  • msdmanuals.com
  • espalda.org
  • medigraphic.com
  • Coral CJR, Dabaghi RA, Hurtado PA, et al. ¿Se puede pronosticar una complicación relacionada a la instrumentación en el tratamiento de la escoliosis de inicio temprano?. Rev Mex Ortop Ped. 2017;19(1):6-12.
  • Jerez LJA, Fleites ME, Lores CZ, et al. Sistema híbrido para el tratamiento quirúrgico de la escoliosis idiopática del adolescente. Cienfuegos, 2016-2017 (Estudio preliminar). Medisur. 2020;18(6):1172-1178.
  • Zárate-Kalfópulos B, Martínez-Ríos HR, López-Meléndez F, et al. Tratamiento quirúrgico de la escoliosis idiopática del adolescente. Resultados en el Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación de México. Seguimiento mínimo de 24 meses. Cir Cir. 2018;86(5):392-398.

How can we help you?

    The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.