Types of Scoliosis

Sometimes due to daily wear and tear of the body, the spine of our body gets curved. This is referred to as scoliosis .The spine that is affected may become curved, rotated, or appear sideways. Often a person suffering from scoliosis may appear leaning towards one side. Scoliosis is a type of deformity in the spine. Some of the general causes of scoliosis are genetic causes, deformities from the time of birth, inequality in the length of the limbs, and problems related to neuromusculature.

Idiopathic scoliosis
It is called so because the exact causes of this type are not ascertained. Some people think that it is hereditary, but that is a mere theory. Younger people, generally females, are more prone to scoliosis but often it continues into adulthood if not properly treated.

Causes of this type of scoliosis could be hereditary factors, imbalances in leg length, and sometimes tumor. Again idiopathic scoliosis is further divided into three stages – infantile (from birth to three years of age), Juvenile scoliosis (age three to nine) and Adolescent scoliosis (age 10 to 18).

Congenital scoliosis
In this type, people develop deformities from the time of birth. Causes for it are generally abnormal growth of the vertebrae.

Neuromuscular scoliosis
It occurs because of muscular weakness or neuromuscular diseases like spinal bifida, cerebral palsy and neurofibromatosis. It could be due to spinal cord tumors and muscular dystrophy.

Degenerative scoliosis
The main cause of this disorder is calcium deficiency and because of old age.