Scoliosis Symptoms and Causes

Scoliosis Symptoms

The signs or appearance of scoliosis may be the first clue rather than symptoms of pain or discomfort. One shoulder may appear higher or more prominent than the other, a hip may look or tilt higher than the other, the head may appear to be off-center, when the patient bends forward one side of the back may look higher than the other. If the curvature is mild, it may have not be noticed for many years and will be discovered with complaints of back pain flair ups or suspected on an x-ray of the spine or hips.

Causes of Scoliosis

Most cases of scoliosis are “idiopathic” meaning the curvature has no known or defined cause. Many of these cases never progress beyond a mild curvature. Functional scoliosis is a curve in the spine develops because of a problem elsewhere in the body, such as one leg being longer than the other or a tilted pelvis. Neuromuscular scoliosis is congenital, caused by abnormal development of the bones of the spine. It may be associated with other disorders such as birth defects, cerebral palsy, or muscular dystrophy. Degenerative scoliosis occurs in older adults, usually as a result of changes in the spine due to arthritis or osteoporosis.