Scoliosis Congenital and Acquired
Title: 1. Truth About Scoliosis Congenital and Acquired
- Congenital and Acquired Scoliosis– What you need to know
Summary:
This article contains basic information about congenital and acquired scoliosis such as its different types, causes, symptoms, and treatments to educate scoliosis patients or caregivers so that they know what to expect.
Meta Description:
All about congenital and acquired scoliosis, its types, symptoms, causes, diagnostics, treatment, and the frequently asked questions the patients and caregivers need to know.
Introduction:
The health condition known as scoliosis congenital or acquired can be defined as the abnormal lateral curvature of the spine.
Studies show that about 2 to 3 percent of the population suffers from it. This condition can be easily detected through a simple 30-second non-invasive screening procedure. With early detection and treatment, most patients with scoliosis can lead a normal and healthy life.
The other names of this condition are spinal curvature, Juvenile scoliosis, and infantile scoliosis.
The difference between congenital scoliosis and acquired scoliosis is that the former relates to spinal abnormalities present during birth and the latter, whose cause is not known, formed after birth.
Scoliosis Images:
Citation:
Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27796966
Citation:
By Braus, Hermann – Anatomie des Menschen: ein Lehrbuch für Studierende und Ärzte, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29966371
https://archive.org/stream/diseasesofinfan00fisc/diseasesofinfan00fisc#page/n963/mode/1up, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43576108
Citation:
By Jun Jiang's research while affiliated with Nanjing Medical University and other places. – https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-14-year-old-female-patient-wearing-elastic-orthotic-belt-Two-straps-twine-around-the_fig1_46412715, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107375121
Citation:
By en:User:Silverjonny – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiki_pre-op.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1493715
Citation:
By en:User:Silverjonny – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiki_post-op.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1493727
Scoliosis Types:
There are about 7 types of scoliosis congenital and acquired and let us study them in brief here.
Congenital Scoliosis:
This type of scoliosis is uncommon but is easy to identify when screening a newborn child.
This occurs when the spinal cord of the baby is not formed fully or properly inside the womb.
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis:
This condition, the real cause of which is not known, affects children in the age group 10 and above. Some doctors believe that this may be hereditary and can be treated successfully if detected early, enabling the child to lead a normal and healthy life.
Syndromic scoliosis:
This condition occurs due to underlying connecting tissue abnormalities and can be easily identified using appropriate scans.
Early Onset Scoliosis:
Children below the age of 10 are affected by this type of scoliosis which can have an adverse impact on the growth of surrounding body parts such as ribcage, lungs, and even the heart. If left untreated, it may prove fatal.
Scheuermann’s kyphosis:
This is a spinal deformity named after the Danish radiologist who discovered this condition, begins at the neck extending up to the mid back wherein they are not stacked one upon the other properly.
Degenerative Scoliosis:
This condition is also known as late-onset scoliosis. It affects adults, the older people and can gradually get worse over a period of time leading to spinal misalignment and can become painful.
Neuromuscular Scoliosis:
This condition occurs when the muscles and nerves surrounding the spinal structure, lose their strength and ability to give proper support to the spinal column, due to muscle atrophy.
Symptoms:
The signs and symptoms of scoliosis congenital and acquired are as follows.
- Uneven waist
- Uneven shoulders.
- One shoulder blade appears raised and more prominent than the other.
- One hip higher than the other
- One side of the rib cage jutting forward
- A prominence on one side of the back when bending forward.
- Difficulty with breathing or sitting
- Low-back pain that goes down the legs
- The spine curves prominently more to one side
Causes:
The real causes of congenital scoliosis or acquired scoliosis are not known but believed to be hereditary.
The causes of less common types of scoliosis can be as follows.
- Spinal deformities before birth
- Cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy
- Abnormal spinal structure
- Spinal injury or infections
- Surgery conducted on the chest wall as a baby
When to seek medical attention:
Consult your doctor even if you have mild doubts about whether your child has scoliosis or not because there are no symptoms in the initial stages of scoliosis.
It is always advisable to detect scoliosis early on before the possibility of risk factors appearing like digestive issues and lung impairment.
Call to action:
Please request an appointment at Apollo Fertility/Cradle in location/City: Motinagar
Call 1860-500-1066 to book an appointment for early diagnosis and treatment of Scoliosis.
Risk factors:
Scoliosis risk factors are as follows.
- The number of spinal devices or implants used on the spine. More devices or implants, more the risk factors.
- Possible fusion to the sacrum
- More severe the scoliosis condition, the more the chances of increased risk factors.
- There is a 44% risk of needing a new operation after the initial surgery due to natural bone growth.
- (PSO) pedicle subtraction osteotomy.
- As a patient’s scoliosis condition advances and their spine curvature gets bigger, the risk factors increase too.
- For a patient with mild or moderate scoliosis condition, the risk factors are fewer in number.
Possible complications:
Complications of scoliosis are as follows.
- Breathing problems (in severe scoliosis)
- Low back pain
- Persistent spinal cord pain
- Post-surgical spinal infection
- Spine or nerve damage due to uncorrected curve or spinal surgery
- Leakage of spinal fluid
- Lower self-esteem
Prevention of scoliosis:
There is no preventive measure for this condition as of now but a timely detection of the early onset of scoliosis by screening the children will be beneficial.
Treatment:
If you are an idiopathic scoliosis patient, you don’t need treatment but you need to undergo medical tests every 6 months.
Scoliosis treatment varies depending upon many things such as
- The cause of scoliosis
- The position of the curve
- How large the curve is
- Possibility of your body growth
Diagnostic Tests and Radiology Tests:
Exams and Tests
You will be asked to undergo a physical examination wherein you will be asked to bend forward to inspect the curvature of your backbone. It is difficult to spot the difference during the initial stages of this condition.
The physical examination may reveal whether the pelvis is tilted or whether one of your shoulders is higher than the other.
Next, the spine x-rays are taken to know the size of the spinal curvature which otherwise may not be visible during the physical examination.
Depending upon the severity of your condition, you may be asked to undergo
- MRI scan
- CT scan
- Scoliometer screening to measure the curvature
To know more request an appointment at Apollo Fertility/Cradle in Motinagar
Call 1860-500-1066 to book an appointment.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we may say that with early detection and treatment, idiopathic scoliosis can be treated with braces but congenital scoliosis may require focused medical attention involving repeated surgical procedures over a period of time.
If you want more information on scoliosis congenital and acquired, you may visit the following websites.
https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Scoliosis
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scoliosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350716
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001241.htm
FAQs:
What can I do to prevent my scoliosis from getting worse?
If you are an idiopathic scoliosis patient scoliosis specific exercises combined with bracing may be helpful. For congenital scoliosis, surgery may be needed.
Are there any treatments other than allopathy?
Presently, there is no evidence to show that physiotherapy, chiropractic care, electrical stimulation, magnetic therapy, light therapy, or other alternative medicine options have a beneficial long-term effect on reducing lateral spine curvature.
Is it safe for my child to exercise and participate in sports?
In general, for idiopathic children, it is safe and beneficial too to stay fit with exercise but it is advisable to consult your doctor before doing so.
Those children with curves that do not need surgery can participate in sports activities.
Is adolescent scoliosis a life-threatening ailment?
Adolescent scoliosis is not life-threatening as most curves pose no serious problems and people with scoliosis can lead a normal active life.
Is there any possibility for scoliosis to go away on its own?
The answer is no as scoliosis is incurable and progressive in nature but is treatable with the right medical attention at the right stage.
For more in-depth Scoliosis F.A.Qs please visit the website shown below.
Sources:
https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Scoliosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoliosis
https://nucca.org/7-types-of-scoliosis-and-how-you-can-find-relief/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scoliosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350716
https://clear-institute.org/blog/scoliosis-risk-factors/
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001241.htm