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SCOLIOSIS TREATMENT
Scoliosis affects a small percentage of the
population, approximately 2 percent. However, scoliosis runs in
families. If someone in a family has scoliosis, the likelihood of an
incidence is much higher - approximately 20 percent. If anyone in your
family has curvature of the spine, you should be examined for scoliosis.
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Children -
The vast majority of scoliosis is "idiopathic," meaning its cause is
unknown. It usually develops in middle or late childhood, before
puberty, and is seen more often in girls than boys. Though scoliosis
can occur in children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy,
spinal bifida and other miscellaneous conditions, most scoliosis is
found in otherwise healthy youngsters. |
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Adults - Scoliosis usually develops
during childhood, but it also can occur in adults. Adult scoliosis
may represent the progression of a condition that actually began in
childhood, and was not diagnosed or treated while the person was
still growing. What might have started out as a slight or moderate
curve has progressed in the absence of treatment. |
In other instances, adult scoliosis can be caused
by the degenerative changes of the spine. Other spinal deformities such
as kyphosis or round back are associated with the common problem of
osteoporosis (bone softening) involving the elderly. As more and more
people reach old age in the U.S., the incidence of scoliosis and
kyphosis is expected to increase.
If allowed to progress, in severe cases adult scoliosis can lead to
chronic severe back pain, deformity, and difficulty in breathing.
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