The Greek word for scoliosis is “crooked” meaning a spine that curves or twists excessively.

The spine is made up of 24 small bones called vertebrae: 7 in the neck, 12 in the mid-back (thoracic) and 5 in the lower back. When viewed from the back, they stack up, one on top of the other to form a straight line, but when viewed from the side they form three curves. Excessive curving or twists are usually first noted in childhood.

There are two types of scoliosis: “Primary” (idiopathic) is most frequently found in young females and the cause is not known. “Secondary” (compensatory) is the result of poor posture, subluxations, different leg lengths, injury or disease. In either case, the curvature develops slowly usually during ages 12 to 16. In some severe cases, the spine is disfiguring and causes the rib cage to compress the heart and lungs, which causes them to function improperly.

The cause of scoliosis is unknown in 85% to 90% of the time. In fact, each of the vertebrae may be perfectly normal. In 10% to 15% of the cases the cause of scoliosis is tumor, infection, a neuromuscular disease such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, a birth deformity or disc problems. Because the spine continues to grow until into the early 20’s, if left uncorrected it often worsens. Therefore, it is essential to detect it as early as possible.

Chiropractors correct vertebral subluxations (misalignments of the spinal column). In doing so, the body is in a better position to resist abnormalities and diseases of all kinds, including scoliosis.