Scoliosis is a medical condition in which the spine turns into an S-shaped curve instead of its original, vertically straight shape. This condition is diagnosed during early teenage years, around 10 to 15. The cause of scoliosis has not yet been discovered by scientists. Children suffering from scoliosis endure severe pain in the back, posture disability and breathing issues. We will analyse the disease in detail and try to find its symptoms and treatment options.
What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is an unnatural condition in which the spine undergoes deformity and turns into a C-shaped or S-shaped curve. Our spine’s natural shape is slightly curved, but in this condition, it is forced to turn left or right and sometimes both, leading to severe changes in the overall appearance of the back and front torso.
Let’s learn about the different forms of scoliosis. If you are not sure about the severity of this condition, do consult a spine specialist in Vadodara, Dr. Uday Meghnathi. He is an experienced doctor and surgeon, offering the best treatments and management of spine disorders.
Types of Scoliosis
- Congenital Scoliosis: In this case, the deformity is detected easily at birth. The cause of congenital scoliosis is the inappropriate or inadequate formation of the vertebral column (made with 33 separate vertebrae, stacked upon each other) during embryonic development in the womb.
- Idiopathic Scoliosis: Assumed as a hereditary (runs in the family) disease. It is the most common type of scoliosis. Idiopathic, which means the cause is unknown, type of scoliosis is often seen in adults and teenage children.
- Neuromuscular Scoliosis: Scoliosis caused as a result of an underlying condition like cerebral palsy, spina bifida, etc., or injury, caused around the spine. In this condition, the nerves and muscles around the spine are ineffective in their anatomical role.
How to Detect Scoliosis? Look at These Symptoms of Scoliosis.
Try to identify the following deformities.
- Uneven shoulders
- Poor and painful posture
- Outward shoulder blades
- Uneven waist
- Unaligned head and pelvis
- Constant leaning to one side
- The outward appearance of the ribcage
- Dimples, skin discolouration and hair patches appearing on and around the spine.
- Height loss
Causes of Scoliosis
There can be many causes for scoliosis
- Cerebral palsy
- Muscle dystrophy
- Spinal injuries from accidents
- Genes
- Hormones
- Surgeries during the infant stage.
Treatment of Scoliosis
- Constant supervision for children is necessary, as the spine might straighten with time or may lead to worsening of scoliosis. Ruined posture and curved spine may reduce the space for other growing organs. Thus, being in touch with a scoliosis specialist in Baroda is important.
- Make your child wear a removable back cast to straighten their back. As their bones are very soft, they can be straightened at a young age.
- When the scoliosis is not improving, get a back brace customised according to the posture of your child’s spine. Wearing it the whole day will slow down the disease progression.
- Surgery in young children is carried out by inserting metallic rods along the spine.
- Surgery in adults is called spine fusion to correct the posture.
This condition can be managed with accurate management, and we can ease the patient’s pain and slow down the disease progression. Book a consultation with Dr. Uday Meghnathi, the best orthopedic doctor in Vadodara. He specializes in spine disorders, knee, joint and hip replacements and offers the best treatments with a fully equipped staff. Call us for any doubts and information.
