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Kinds of Scoliosis

Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal curvature of the spine, from middle to sideways. Depending on the resources in which you are perusing, there may be a difference in the number of scoliosis types listed. The differences lie in the fact that some resources break the main types into sub-types within categories, while others do not.

  1. The Two Main Types

    • The two main types of scoliosis are functional scoliosis and structural scoliosis. In functional scoliosis, the curve is caused by a problem not involving the spine (such as legs with different lengths, or pain-induced muscle spasms causing one to lean to one side). In the other main type, structural scoliosis, the curve is not flexible and will not just go away by changing positions.

    The Two Types of Functional Scoliosis

    • The first type of functional scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis, is caused by problems, such as muscle control or muscle weakness or paralysis due to to a disease (such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spine difida or polio). In other words, it develops in people with other types of disorders. The other type of functional scoliosis, degenerative scoliosis, occurs mostly in older people and is caused by changes in the spine due to arthritis.

    Types of Structural Scoliosis

    • The first type of structural scoliosis is congenital scoliosis, which is scoliosis that is present at birth. It is scoliosis that is due to the formation of spine bones (vertebrae) or fused ribs during development in the womb. The second type is idiopathic scoliosis, which is scoliosis of causes unknown, and which appears in a spine that was previously straight. Eighty-percent of children with structural scoliosis have idiopathic scoliosis.

    Types of Idiopathic Scoliosis

    • The three types of idiopathic scoliosis are: infantile scoliosis, or those that appear in children less than three-years-old; juvenile scoliosis, or those that appear in children three to 10-years-old; and adolescent scoliosis, or those that appear in children over 10-years-old. There is very little one can do about any of the types of structural scoliosis and, if any, it depends largely on the angle of the curve.

    Scoliosis Treatment Per Curve Type

    • If the curve of the scoliosis is less than 10 degrees, it is not considered abnormal. If it is 10 to 25 degrees, it is mild and only needs monitoring. If it is 25 to 40 degrees, it is moderate and a brace can help but will still need monitoring. Surgery may be needed if the curve is more than 45 degrees, but then it can only help from making the curve worse. In addition to the curve, another factor considered is number of years of growth left in a person, where the younger the person, the more chances of correcting the scoliosis.

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