What Causes Scoliosis in Adults? There are also various stretches and therapies that CLEAR prescribes to help improve the flexibility of the nerves themselves. When the muscles surrounding the spine aren’t working properly, the spine isn’t supported adequately; this can throw it off balance and out of alignment. Scoliosis has been around for thousands of years, among people of every culture and country. Adult Scoliosis Menu. While this lack of pain is a good thing for those experiencing it, the flip side is that it makes it harder to diagnose; pain tells us that something wrong is happening within the body. CLEAR provides a unique and innovative way of understanding scoliosis. Understanding Scoliosis in Adults. Other less common causes of scoliosis are neuromuscular discord such as Arnold Chiari malformation, a congenital misshaped vertebrae, neurofibromatosis, connective tissue disorders such as Marfan’s or Eheler-Danlos, trauma-induced and post-surgical scoliosis. Adult degenerative scoliosis (also called adult onset scoliosis) is caused by the degeneration of the facet joints that help the spine bend smoothly, and the intervertebral … In this article, surgeons from the Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota review the causes, symptoms, and treatment of this type of degenerative scoliosis. Never ignore professional medical advice because of something you have read on this site. A scoliosis curve that reaches 90 or 100 degrees or more could cause the patient to hunch forward (also called kyphosis), lean to the side, or both. While scoliosis can sometimes be hereditary, or the result of a past trauma, the primary cause of adult deformity is aging, or natural wear-and-tear, as well as degenerative arthritis that occurs within the joints of … Although scoliosis is most commonly diagnosed in adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18, adults can also develop the condition. More commonly, though, adult scoliosis happens as a result of the spinal wear and tear that comes with aging, usually in combination with another condition that affects the spine, such as arthritis or osteoporosis. The precise causes of degenerative scoliosis or associated spinal osteoarthritis are not known, but the condition is clearly aggravated by daily wear and tear, microtraumas and repetitive activities that jar the spine, such as using a jackhammer. When scoliosis develops in adulthood as a result of degenerative changes, this is known as adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS). They theorized that this straightening of the spine and the loss of the normal good curves created a “de-stabilization” effect upon the spine, which rendered it vulnerable to developing scoliosis. Scoliosis can most certainly cause a number of painful symptoms and complications, but in the most typical scenarios, this is more common in adults, severe cases with a … Back pain, however, is a common symptom for people who develop scoliosis as an adult. When the spinal cord lengthens, due to the orientation of the fibers of the dura mater, it creates a “pincer”-effect upon the nerves. Menopause can lead to bone mineral loss which causes the spine to deteriorate rapidly. The vast majority of scoliosis cases diagnosed (over 80%) are termed idiopathic. Before your doctor can suggest a treatment plan, if adult scoliosis is suspected, he/she will need to take a history. CLEAR recognizes how food, chemicals, and vitamins can influence the health of the body, and provides its doctors with suggested dietary guidelines and nutritional supplements to give to their patients. In most cases, there is no known cause of scoliosis. This degeneration and resulting spinal asymmetry can occur slowly over time as a person ages. Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve abnormally, like the letter “S” or “C.” The spine may also twist and cause one side of the back to stick out more than the other. What causes this in turn is not known for certain, but it suggests that rehabilitation strategies aimed at improving balance, coordination, and proprioception might help prevent scoliosis from getting worse. This tension can have many negative effects. Treatmen… CLEAR Scoliosis Centers are privately owned and operated chiropractic clinics. While it was earlier assumed that scoliosis only affects children and teenagers, it is now established that adults can suffer from scoliosis as well. Also, the postural changes that scoliosis can cause can also be subtle and difficult for the average person to spot. Scoliosis or curvature of the spine is often thought of as a childhood problem. When the baby is being pulled from the womb or birth canal, its head and neck are very vulnerable to injury. Surgery is not your only option when it comes to improving the curvature of your spine - here at Scoliosis SOS, we provide non-surgical treatment courses that have shown to be very effective indeed. This article provides information about the causes of scoliosis, its symptoms and probable treatment options. But more and more, older adults are experiencing this condition, too. Although scoliosis is usually considered a disorder affecting adolescents, it is also found in adults. Degenerative scoliosis is one of the most common forms of adult scoliosis; it’s caused by a weakening of the spine, and its parts, caused by the cumulative effect of lifestyle choices and aging. Adult-onset scoliosis can be a distressing experience—both in the psychological impact of your body’s changing appearance and in the physiological pain and inflammation that the condition can cause. Environmental aspects that influence scoliosis appear to be ectomorphic body types (tall and slender), loss of the normal thoracic kyphosis (flatback syndrome), and abnormal loading of the bones (Heuter-Volkmann’s Law). Yet for all the time we have studied scoliosis, its true causes remain elusive. In most cases, scoliosis does not develop due to only one cause, but a combination of causes with varying degrees of influence. This is a completely different cause of scoliosis from the standard adolescent onset scoliosis. It is most common in adults over the age of 40. Scoliosis is not a simple condition to understand. While scoliosis is rare in infants, infantile scoliosis can affect people before the age of 3 years. As a result of the degenerative changes to the spine that can accompany aging, there are a number of conditions that can develop and contribute to the development of adult degenerative scoliosis. Degenerative scoliosis is found only in … When a child or teenager with scoliosis does experience back pain, this is usually a sign that they have some additional condition. Scoliosis is defined as a lateral curve to the spine that is greater than 10 degrees with vertebral rotation 2). Copyright © 2019 CLEAR Scoliosis Institute. Pain results from stressed joints and pinched nerves, not the abnormal curve. The Most Common Forms of Scoliosis Remain a Mystery Scoliosis rarely causes pain in children an adolescents. In adults, age related changes in the discs and joints of the spine and a reduction in bone density may cause scoliosis. Bone density loss isn't just a women's issue, though. Other possible causes include: However, adults may also be diagnosed with scoliosis, either when a curve that existed in their youth progresses, or as a de novo (newly diagnosed condition) that can result from degenerative changes in the spine or osteoporosis. Degenerative scoliosis happens in late adulthood due to degeneration of the spinal discs. It’s also possible for scoliosis to develop in adults due to disease, surgery, or trauma, although this is less common. Spinal deformity is an abnormal alignment or curve of the bony vertebral column. When adolescent idiopathic scoliosis progresses into adulthood undiagnosed, it becomes known as idiopathic adult scoliosis, and this is by far the most common form of adult scoliosis. Common symptoms of ADS include muscle fatigue, back pain, radiating pain into the legs and feet, and feelings of stiffness or numbness in the back and legs. Adult Scoliosis. In other words, when you have a headache, the cause of the headache is not a deficiency of aspirin. In some individuals, spinal cord tension plays a very minor role; in others, it could be the primary driving factor behind the scoliosis. All of these types of scoliosis, however, comprise less than 20% of the diagnosed cases. What is adult scoliosis? In severe cases, posture can also be affected. Unfortunately, you can’t perform this check on yourself, so you will need to enlist the help of your partner or a close friend. This is commonly caused by degenerative changes to the spine that can accompany aging. What this means is that many adolescents with the condition progress through adolescence into adulthood. If the scoliosis is straightened without first restoring the good curves, the spine ends up straight and unstable again. While scoliosis can sometimes be hereditary, or the result of a past trauma, the primary cause of adult deformity is aging, or natural wear-and-tear, as well as degenerative arthritis that occurs within the joints of … We’ve learned that idiopathic scoliosis that first appears during adolescence can continue progressing into adulthood, and as age increases, so too does the likelihood of curvature progression. A healthy adult spine viewed from the back appears straight. Adult scoliosis can be divided into two main categories: idiopathic and de novo. Traumatic scoliosis can occur as a result of an accident or surgery. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. It’s also possible for scoliosis to develop in adults due to disease, surgery, or … This type of scoliosis is described based on the age when scoliosis develops, as are other some other types of scoliosis. Roughly two-thirds of adults with scoliotic curves between 20 and 55 degrees experience back pain. One of the fundamental principles of chiropractic is that, in order to successfully treat a disease, you must address the cause, not the symptom. Interestingly, there are two primary genes which influence spinal cord tension; one codes for the elasticity of the spinal cord proper, and the other regulates the elasticity of the spinal nerves that branch out in the lumbar spine. Osteoporosis is a common condition linked to the development of adult scoliosis and is caused by a loss of bone mass, basically making the bones thinner. It is possible to influence your posture with active conscious effort, but once you stop focusing upon it, your posture will return to its natural state. It interferes with the function of the spinal cord, and that can throw off the spine’s biomechanics and lead to the development of spinal deformities like scoliosis. The CLEAR Scoliosis Treatment is tailored to identify and treat every aspect of a patient’s health that could be influencing their scoliosis, in order to achieve the best possible long-term outcomes not just in terms of Cobb angle reduction, but also in regards to improvement in quality of life. There are several different types of scoliosis. While cases of adult ‘de novo’ scoliosis can develop, they’re far less common than cases of scoliosis carried from adolescence into adulthood. In other cases, it is not diagnosed until adulthood. All of these types of scoliosis, however, comprise less than 20% of the diagnosed cases. Scoliosis can cause many complications later in life, but if you seek treatment before your spine deteriorates too far, many of these issues can be nipped in the bud and avoided altogether. As discussed, true cases of adult de novo scoliosis are far less common than cases of idiopathic adult scoliosis. Numbness 3. Written by Stewart G. Eidelson, MD Adult scoliosis occurs when the spine curves abnormally to the left or right. When an adult patient develops scoliosis with no prior history, this is referred to as adult de novo scoliosis, and there are a number of causes for this: degenerative changes to the spine that can lead to osteoporosis, vertebral compression fractures, and stenosis. Traumatic scoliosis can occur as a result of an accident or surgery. 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