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Scoliosis - A Patient Primer.

Edited By: Generic Spine Content, Theodore A. Wagner, M.D.
Last updated Wednesday, February 09, 2005

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What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is defined as a curvature of the spine in the frontal and/or coronal plane. In other words, the spine is abnormally curved when viewed from the front of the patient, and when viewed from above. The normal spinal column has no curvature when viewed from to front, but does have a curvature when viewed from the side (sagittal plane). Think of your spine when standing- your neck curves backwards slightly, your upper back is slightly rounded, and you have a slight swayback in your lower spine. When the spine becomes curved in the frontal plane as it does with scoliosis, some of the sagittal plane curve is usually lost.

What symptoms indicate that scoliosis needs immediate medical attention?

It is very unusual for a person with scoliosis to require immediate medical attention. Patients who have difficulty with walking, spasticity (severe muscle spasms) in their legs, progressive weakness in their legs and loss of control of urine or stool should seek urgent medical attention. These symptoms may indicate problems in and around the spinal cord, which can be associated with some forms of scoliosis, especially in children.

What are some common misconceptions (common misunderstandings or myths) about scoliosis?

Scoliosis is assumed to be quite common in the teenage population, but in actuality less than 1% of children have scoliosis that requires attention from an orthopaedic surgeon. In fact, there is a push towards doing away with the standard school screening for scoliosis, as screening has not been shown to improve the management of scoliosis.

Surgery for scoliosis at the University of Washington

If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-598-4288 (outside the Seattle area: 800-440-3280) to make an appointment.

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