The Causes of Scoliosis

 

There are actually varied reasons on the development of scoliosis on an individual. The causes are also dependent on the various types of the ailment.

Normally scoliosis is either functional or structural in form. When we say structural, the spine For instance, idiopathic scoliosis is a type which does not have any clear cause to it. Idiopathic is actually a medical term which is literally translated to occurrence of a disease without known cause. In short specialists have yet to determine the exact cause of idiopathic scoliosis. This type of scoliosis can also be broken down into categories. These are juvenile idiopathic scoliosis which affects kids from ages 3 to 9, then there’s adolescent idiopathic scoliosis which affects children aged from 10 to 18 years old. On the other hand there’s adult idiopathic scoliosis which afflicts people who have reached skeletal maturity.

Studies suggest that 4 out of 5 scoliosis cases are classified as idiopathic.

Then there’s congenital scoliosis. The term congenital pertains to presence of an ailment or defect at birth. Resulting from the malfunction of the spine, congenital scoliosis happens between the third and sixth week of pregnancy, about the time when the spine begins to develop. This kind of scoliosis is usually resulting from one side of vertebra not developing fully.

Another type of scoliosis is neuromuscular scoliosis which is a result of a disorder in the neurological system of a child. Disorders like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spina bifida can cause this kind of scoliosis. The spine is normally long, a C-shaped curve resulting from the weak trunks and inability of the child to support the body.

Lastly there’s the degenerative scoliosis which becomes evident in the latter stages of a person’s life. This develops when the scoliosis was left undiagnosed or untreated particularly during childhood. Osteoporosis, spinal compression facture, and disc degeneration can contribute to this type of scoliosis.