What percentage of the population has scoliosis?

What percentage of the population has scoliosis?

Scoliosis affects 2-3 percent of the population, or an estimated six to nine million people in the United States. Scoliosis can develop in infancy or early childhood.

Does everyone have scoliosis?

Scoliosis, a type of spinal deformity, isn’t just a childhood condition. When you think of scoliosis, you might assume it’s a spinal disorder that begins when you’re young. However, adults can develop scoliosis, too—even if they never had it as a child.

Is scoliosis considered a rare disease?

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common spinal abnormality in children. It affects an estimated 2 to 3 percent of children in the United States. It is not a rare disease.

Why is scoliosis so common?

Doctors don’t know what causes the most common type of scoliosis — although it appears to involve hereditary factors, because the disorder sometimes runs in families. Less common types of scoliosis may be caused by: Certain neuromuscular conditions, such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

Are you born with scoliosis or does it develop?

Scoliosis can potentially occur at any stage of a person’s life. Some people grow up with curved spines, while others develop scoliosis in their old age.

Should I worry about mild scoliosis?

Most mild scoliosis curves don’t need treatment. If you have a mild curve, you’ll need to go for regular checkups to be sure it doesn’t get bigger. Scoliosis is more likely to get worse while your bones are still growing. So your health care provider will want to keep an eye on you as you grow.

Does scoliosis make you skinny?

Does scoliosis itself directly cause my patients to gain or lose significant amounts of weight: no. Can scoliosis cause residual effects that can be responded to in ways that can lead to weight gain/loss: yes. For my adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients, pain is not a common part of their experience.

Is scoliosis a disability?

According to the SSA, there are a number of conditions and diseases that are considered a disability, but they have to be debilitating enough to prevent a return to work. They have the disabilities broken down into sections, and scoliosis would fall under the umbrella of ‘Musculoskeletal Disorders’.

Can scoliosis go away?

As scoliosis is an incurable and progressive condition, it will neither go away, nor fix itself without treatment.

What should I avoid if I have scoliosis?

People with scoliosis should avoid: Keeping the neck bent forward, so the head faces down, such as when using a smartphone. Playing football and other high-contact sports are dangerous for people with scoliosis. Ballet and gymnastics may also injure the thoracic spine.

Is scoliosis considered a disability?

In order for scoliosis to be considered a disability by Social Services, it has to meet the SSA’s definition of ‘disabled’: It would have to prevent you from doing the work you did before. It would have to prevent you from doing other similar work.

What organs are affected by scoliosis?

Severe scoliosis (80+degrees) can potentially affect not only the spine and rib cage, but also, may eventually affect the heart, lungs, and other internal organs. Children with severe scoliosis frequently use compensating postures in an attempt to alleviate pain and the imbalance they feel in their body.

What does scoliosis pain feel like?

Jayme F: “It feels like a stiffness and tightness in my lower back.” While more common in adults, stiffness and tightness of the lower back can be a common scoliosis-related symptom. As the body tries to adjust to the abnormal spinal curvature, muscles and ligaments can become stretched and strained from overuse.

Is having scoliosis a disability?

What percentage of kids get scoliosis?

While scoliosis isn’t common, it’s not as rare as you might think. Around 3-5% percent of kids develop some degree of scoliosis during their teenage years. The vast majority of the time, it’s mild and only requires scoliosis specific exercise treatment.

Does childhood scoliosis go away?

In many cases, scoliosis curves are small and do not require treatment. Children with larger curves may need to wear a brace or have surgery to restore normal posture.

How common is juvenile scoliosis?

Juvenile scoliosis accounts for 12 to 20 percent of all pediatric cases. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is diagnosed in children between the ages of 10 and 18 years old. Approximately 80 percent of all pediatric cases of idiopathic scoliosis fall into this category.

At what age can you notice scoliosis?

It’s most often seen in children between the ages of 10 and 18. It tends to affect more girls than boys. Possible causes of scoliosis include: Nervous system problems like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

How many children are diagnosed with scoliosis each year?

More than 100,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with scoliosis each year. The majority of these children are diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 15 with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

How often do people get braces for scoliosis?

The problem is we do not know who will get it, why they get it, which will progress, or how far they will progress. Each year scoliosis patients make more than 600,000 visits to private physician offices, and an estimated 30,000 children are put into a brace for scoliosis, while 38,000 patients undergo spinal fusion surgery.

How old do you have to be to have scoliosis surgery?

Either way, per the Scoliosis Research Society, infantile scoliosis surgery remains a long, difficult therapy for the child with a high rate of complications. Children with scoliosis are classified as juvenile scoliosis which is diagnosed between the ages of 3 and 10 years.

How many people with scoliosis have low back pain?

23% of people with scoliosis reported their pain level as horrible, excruciating, or distressing, compared to just 1.4% of people without scoliosis. The incidence of low back pain is almost twice as high in people living with scoliosis as those without.

How often does scoliosis occur in young children?

Scoliosis is a common spine condition often found in adolescents. Roughly 3 million new cases of the condition are diagnosed in the United States each year, with a majority of them identified as idiopathic scoliosis — a type of scoliosis that presents in children between 10 to 12 years old.

How many scoliosis cases are there in the United States?

Scoliosis is the most common spinal deformity in school-age children. ( Chiro & Osteo. 2005) The total number of scoliosis cases in the United States is estimated to be greater than 4 million. ( National Scoliosis Foundation)

Either way, per the Scoliosis Research Society, infantile scoliosis surgery remains a long, difficult therapy for the child with a high rate of complications. Children with scoliosis are classified as juvenile scoliosis which is diagnosed between the ages of 3 and 10 years.

How is scoliosis treated at Boston Children’s Hospital?

Of all the patients who come to Boston Children’s Hospital for treatment for scoliosis, most have minor scoliosis that does not require treatment other than regular monitoring. The second largest group are patients with moderate scoliosis. Of these patients, about 75 percent are successfully treated with scoliosis bracing.