What is scoliosis?

Curved spine: It is a lateral(side to side) curvature of the spine. Mild cases usually aren't a biggie, but severe cases can cause pain and many other problems. It is best to catch it early to determine if correction is necessary.

A spine deformity: There are different types of scoliosis. The typical or idiopathic scoliosis is a 3 dimenstional deformity of unkown etiology that creates a rotation of the spine giving it a curved appearance & other appearances like shoulder & hip height differences, a"hump" on the back & what appears to be different sized breasts and different waist skin creasings & the way the arms clear the body sides

Many causes: Idiopathic curvature most common, s shaped curve usually to right in thoracic spine and to left in lumbar spine.Next most common neuromuscular scoliosis most commonly associated with cerebral palsy and c shaped. In third place congenital scoliosis in which born with segmentation and fusion vertebral anomalies.More rare scoliosis with tumors, neurofibromatosis.Dysplasia, trauma, connective tissue, etc.

Curvature: Normally, when the spine is viewed directly from the back, it is straight. When it is curved and the curve is over 10 degrees it is defined as scoliosis.