Scoliosis occurs when the spine bends to the side in a C- or S-shape instead of going straight down the back. The curve is so little that most people don’t even perceive it. For some people, it can cause back pain, unequal shoulders, trouble breathing, and in severe cases, surgery. Scoliosis can happen at any age, but it’s important to find it early because the curve usually gets worse as the kid develops.
Joseph Petfield, a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital, said, “Many people don’t know that scoliosis gets worse as a child grows.” “The sooner we find scoliosis and the less curved the spine is, the more likely we are to be able to treat it without surgery.”
This blog post covers scoliosis, its effects, detection, and new treatments.
What is scoliosis, and who gets it?
Scoliosis can happen in numerous areas of the spine:
• Thoracic spine: the upper and mid-back
• The lumbar spine is the lower back.
• The thoracolumbar region is where the thoracic and lumbar areas meet.
Brent O’Neill, a paediatric neurosurgeon at Penn State Health, stated, “You can usually see it when you look at someone’s back, especially when they bend over, which can make the curve even more noticeable.”
BMC Medicine says that scoliosis affects about 2% of kids and teens around the world. Girls are more likely to get it than boys, and it usually happens during adolescence, when growth spurts can quickly make a spinal curve worse.
Adults are also affected. The European Spine Journal says that roughly 38% of adults over 41 have scoliosis, and this is more common in women and people over 60. In adults, the problem generally happens because the spine alters with ageing. These include discs that are getting weaker, arthritis, and a slow loss of alignment. The goal of treatment is mainly to reduce discomfort and keep people moving.
Different kinds of scoliosis
1. Idiopathic scoliosis
Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type in children and teenagers, yet its cause remains unknown.
O’Neill remarked, “These kids are usually healthy otherwise, but they just develop a spinal curvature on their own.”
2. Scoliosis from birth
Scoliosis is a rare condition that occurs when the spine’s bones grow incorrectly during pregnancy. It is typically identified at birth.
3. Neuromuscular scoliosis
This happens when nerves or muscles don’t work right, like in cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or spina bifida, which makes the area around the spine weak.
Checking for and diagnosing scoliosis
A physical exam and a close look at posture, shoulder alignment, and rib symmetry are the first steps in making a diagnosis. The “Cobb angle” is a measure of how severe the bend in the spine is. X-rays assist with this.
A curve of roughly 10 degrees is moderate and commonly seen over time. O’Neill said, “We start to think about a brace when the curve exceeds 25 degrees.” Bracing helps the spine grow and stops it from bending more during the teenage years.
You can use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for any problems with your brain or nerves.
Physiotherapy, aquatic treatment, and exercises like yoga or Pilates can help those with mild to moderate scoliosis. These activities can strengthen the back muscles and improve posture.
New technologies and therapies are making scoliosis care better.
The planned use of EOS Imaging, next-generation imaging equipment that uses less radiation, is one of the most crucial changes in scoliosis therapy. Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Centre will start using this technology at Golisano Children’s Hospital in early 2026.
EOS Imaging utilises much less radiation than regular X-rays, which is a big plus for young patients who need scans often over the course of several years. The device takes pictures of the whole body from the front and the side at the same time, which lets doctors make a 3D model of the patient’s spine.
Petfield added, “We can use the pictures to make a 3D model of the patient’s spine and closely look at their spinal deformity and plan how to fix it.”
This new type of imaging is part of a larger trend towards scoliosis treatment that is more accurate, less invasive, and tailored to each patient.
The Mazor robotic guiding system is another game-changing instrument. It employs robotics and 3D planning to help surgeons put spine implants with incredible accuracy. Petfield added, “This cutting-edge technology uses robotics and 3D planning to put the implants we use during spinal surgery in the right place.”
For some kids with severe scoliosis, Penn State Health also offers halo-gravity traction, a six-week in-hospital therapy that uses a unique halo ring affixed to the head to gently stretch and realign the spine before surgery. The slow pulling makes the lungs work better and makes the next procedure safer.
Low-dose 3D imaging, robotics, and pre-surgical traction are all new technologies that are speeding up the move towards safer, more personalised scoliosis care.
How to Treat Severe Scoliosis
When the spine curve exceeds 50 degrees, surgery is usually the best option.
O’Neill remarked, “If your curve is bigger than that, it usually gets worse by about one degree every year, even after you stop growing.” “It keeps getting worse, even when you’re an adult.”
The most common type of surgery is spinal fusion. Surgeons use metal rods, screws, and bone grafts to straighten the spine. These materials slowly fuse the vertebrae into a stable, corrected posture.
At Penn State Health, orthopaedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons work together to treat complicated problems, including scoliosis with tethered cord syndrome, which is when the spinal cord is stuck to other tissue and needs to be freed.
After surgery, rehabilitation specialists help patients get the best long-term results by teaching them how to move, walk, and straighten their posture.
Improving Life After Treatment
Many patients get a lot better. Price, a young patient, saw her breathing become better right away following spinal fusion surgery. The improvement was a big deal for a teenager who loves to sing. Her recuperation included gentle movement therapy and emotional support, even from Captain, a golden retriever who worked as a facilities dog at the hospital.
Daffney Thomas, her mother, said she couldn’t wait to celebrate her daughter’s recovery with a special trip to a parking garage, which is their favourite place to sing since it has a lot of echoes.
In conclusion,
Scoliosis is a common ailment that is easy to manage if it is found early and treated correctly. Thanks to new imaging techniques, robotic technology, and advanced therapies, kids and adults can now get more accurate diagnoses, safer operations, and better results than ever before. The future of scoliosis care keeps getting better, one straightened spine at a time, thanks to new research and hospitals using the latest methods.