Scoliosis

The spine’s intervertebral discs shape overall spinal health in a number of ways. Most degenerative changes in the spine start with the discs; they perform a number of key functions to facilitate the spine’s flexibility, structure, and ability to handle stress. Multilevel degenerative disc disease involves the spine’s intervertebral discs degenerating in more than one … Read more

Current estimates have close to seven million people living with scoliosis in the United States alone. While there are no treatment guarantees, many cases are highly treatable, and early detection and intervention increases the scope of nonsurgical treatment. There are a number of conditions that affect the spine, but scoliosis has some interesting characteristics that … Read more

Spinal health can be shaped by a number of lifestyle choices and factors; preserving its health and function involves maintaining a healthy weight, activity level, and strong supportive muscles. A spine-friendly lifestyle can slow age-related degenerative changes in the spine. Maintaining core strength is key. Spinal health is important for quality of life. A healthy … Read more

Spinal fusion surgery has the goal of stopping progression. Harrington rods revolutionized spinal fusion surgery in the mid-20th century, but have since been replaced by alternative spinal instrumentation and modern nonsurgical treatment options. Harrington rods are stainless steel implants used in spinal fusion surgery. Invented in the 1950s as revolutionary surgical instrumentation of the time, … Read more

Lordosis refers to an inward spinal curve, and while there is a healthy range of lordosis, if a person’s lordosis is excessive, it can disrupt the spine’s overall health and biomechanics. Common causes for hyperlordosis include weak and/or unbalanced core muscles, chronic poor posture, and obesity. Hyperlordosis is an excessive inward spinal curvature that commonly … Read more

Retrolisthesis causes a vertebra to slip backwards onto the vertebral body below. Vertebrae that aren’t stacked on top of one another as they were designed interferes with neutral alignment, which disrupts the spine’s balance and stability. This can further disrupt healthy posture and movement patterns. Retrolisthesis affects the spine by causing a vertebral body to … Read more

Scoliosis causes the spine to develop an unnatural lateral spinal curvature that rotates, and while most people have heard of scoliosis, its prevalence may be surprising. Scoliosis is the leading spinal condition among school-aged children, but it also affects adults of all ages. Current estimates have close to seven million people diagnosed with scoliosis in … Read more

While childhood scoliosis is more commonly diagnosed, the rate of scoliosis increases among the aging population, and this is due to the development of degenerative scoliosis. As scoliosis progression is triggered by growth, it was once thought that progression stopped once skeletal maturity was reached, but years of observation have shown that adult scoliosis can … Read more

Not all cases of adult scoliosis develop in adulthood. The main type to affect adults is pre-existing, likely from adolescence, but doesn’t get diagnosed until after skeletal maturity is reached, and degenerative scoliosis affects older adults experiencing degenerative instability. Traditional scoliosis treatment often involves spinal fusion surgery, but there are also nonsurgical treatment options for … Read more

Progressive conditions can be more complex to treat because their nature is to get worse over time, so successful treatment has to work towards counteracting that tendency. What’s important to know about scoliosis treatment is the earlier scoliosis is diagnosed and addressed, the more potential there is for treatment success. Scoliosis is often progressive, so … Read more