Key Highlights
- Adult scoliosis is not the same as scoliosis in kids. It often happens because of changes in the spine as you get older.
- The way the spinal curvature gets worse in adults can be caused by things like changes in your body or hormones.
- It is important to notice symptoms such as back pain or uneven shoulders. This is the first step to finding out what is wrong and how to help it.
- There are good treatment options like physical therapy and changes in your daily habits. These can help with your symptoms and make your quality of life better.
- There are also new ways to help, like the ScoliSMART Activity Suit and hormone tests. These may help slow down curve progression.
- To make a good treatment plan, you need to know which type of adult scoliosis you have. This helps pick what will work best for you.
Welcome to “The Scoliosis Doctor” website! Please watch this less than 2 min video.
Thank you, Dr. Clayton J. Stitzel
Living with adult scoliosis can be hard. You may feel back pain and worry about your spinal curvature getting worse over time. If you have just learned you have adult scoliosis, you might ask what this means for your life and what you can do to feel better and stay moving well. The good news is you still have choices. To stop curve progression is very important when it comes to adult scoliosis. There are things you can do to help take care of yourself.
This guide will help you know more about your condition. You will learn what signs to look for, and see what treatment options are out there for adult scoliosis. These steps can help you keep your body strong, feel better, and keep living your life in a good and active way.
Understanding Adult Scoliosis
Adult scoliosis is when the spine has a curve from side to side that starts or gets worse after you finish growing. There are a few types of scoliosis that can show up in adults. The most common type is called adult idiopathic scoliosis. This is when a small curve, which many people did not notice when they were younger, starts to get bigger as they get older. Another type is degenerative scoliosis. This happens because the bones and discs in the spine wear out as we get older. These are the main types of scoliosis that adults can have.
The cause of scoliosis is not always easy to know. But it is important to know what type you have because this will help plan your treatment. The signs of scoliosis can show up in how your body looks and feels. You might see uneven shoulders or feel back pain. A doctor will check how much your spine curves by looking at the degree of the curve. This is called the Cobb angle. Some people have mild symptoms. Others feel more back pain or bigger changes in their body. No matter the signs of scoliosis, it is important to get checked by a doctor first. A good diagnosis helps you start the right treatment. Now, let’s look at what sets adult scoliosis apart and what can cause it.
What Makes Adult Scoliosis Different from Childhood Scoliosis?
The main difference between adult scoliosis and idiopathic scoliosis in kids is how much the bones have grown. Childhood idiopathic scoliosis is found before the bones are done growing. The goal for treatment is to stop curve progression while the child grows. On the other hand, adult scoliosis happens when the spine is already fully grown. This means curve progression happens for other reasons. So, how doctors treat it is also not the same.
For adults, the focus is not on stopping the curve from getting worse as they grow. Instead, it is about handling symptoms and trying to slow down the effects that come with age. Children with scoliosis may feel no pain, but most adults feel pain. Many people with adult idiopathic scoliosis or degenerative scoliosis feel back pain, leg pain, or feel stiff. The severity of symptoms can be high for some people. This is because the spinal curve might press on the nerves. Over time, it also puts extra wear on the spinal joints.
The type of scoliosis is often not the same in kids and adults. Adolescents most often get idiopathic scoliosis. For adults, degenerative scoliosis is more common. This kind of scoliosis happens when the spinal discs and joints wear down. This wear and tear does not happen in children because their spines are still growing. Because there are these differences, treatment in adults focuses on helping pain, building strength, and letting people move better. It is not just about bracing to guide bones as they grow.
keywords: idiopathic scoliosis, degenerative scoliosis, type of scoliosis
Most Common Causes and Risk Factors for Adult Scoliosis
Some people have adult idiopathic scoliosis that doctors did not find when they were young. Many others get this problem later in life because of things that happen as they get older. The most common reason is getting older. Over time, the spine goes through degenerative changes. The discs and joints in your back help keep your spine steady, but they can wear out. When this happens, the spine may not be stable, and it can start to curve.
Degenerative scoliosis is a kind of adult scoliosis that happens as people get older. This form is often from changes in the body that come with age. There is also traumatic scoliosis in adults, which shows up after an injury or accident. Some health problems, like muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, can cause muscle weakness in the body. When these problems happen, the muscles cannot give the right support to the spine. Because of this, a person may develop neuromuscular scoliosis.
Besides the clear causes of scoliosis, there are some things that can make you more likely to get a curve in your spine or make one that is already there get worse. These things are called risk factors.
- Genetics: If you have family members with scoliosis, you can be more likely to get it, too.
- Osteoporosis: When your bones lose strength, this can make the bones in your back easy to break down or bend. That may lead to collapse or a curve in your spine.
- Previous Spine Surgery: Some back surgeries can change how your back works. This can cause your spine to curve as time goes by.
- Obesity and Smoking: These ways of/logs can speed up degenerative changes in the spine.
Recognizing Symptoms and How Adult Scoliosis Is Diagnosed
For many adults, the first thing they notice is back pain that will not go away. This pain is often in the lower back. This does not feel the same as what teens feel with scoliosis, because most teens have no pain. The symptoms of scoliosis in adults, like back pain, are usually what makes them go to the doctor. You may also see signs of scoliosis, such as your posture looking different or your clothes not fitting the same way as before.
Getting the right scoliosis diagnosis starts with your medical history and a physical exam. Your doctor will likely ask you to bend forward. This helps them see how your spine lines up and notice if one side is not the same as the other. They will also check your muscle strength and test your reflexes. Most of the time, your doctor will order X-rays or other images to confirm scoliosis and see how bad the curve is. Knowing which signs to watch for can help you get your scoliosis diagnosis earlier.
Noticing the signs and symptoms of adult scoliosis is important to help you get early care. Some changes in your body might be small, but some can really change your day-to-day life. Back pain is the most common thing people talk about. It can feel like a dull ache or a sharp pain that gets worse when you move more. This pain often happens because the curve in the spine puts pressure on the spinal discs and nerves.
You may feel some discomfort, but you can also spot changes in the way your body lines up. The way your body looks is often the best clue that your spine is curving. You might not feel pain at first, but these changes in the way you stand or walk can get worse as time goes on. It’s a good idea to watch for how your body looks and feels when you are standing or walking.
Here are some key signs and symptoms to watch for:
- You may see uneven shoulders or one side of your back where the shoulder blade sticks out more.
- There can be a clear bump in your back or your back may look curved.
- Your waist may not look even, or one hip can be higher than the other.
- Leg pain, numbness, or weak muscles can show up. This may mean some of your nerves are being pinched.
- It may get hard for you to walk well or you could feel out of balance.
- You may notice you are shorter than you were before.
If you see any of these signs, you should talk to a healthcare provider. They can check the severity of the curve and talk with you about your options.
Why Curve Progression Happens in Adults
Curve progression in adults is the main worry for people who have this spinal condition. For kids and teens, growth is what usually causes changes. But for adults, the process is slower. The main reasons are gravity and degenerative changes that happen as you get older. Over time, the discs between your bones in the back can get weaker, become thin, and lose shape.
When there is a loss of disc height, the spine may not stay steady. This can make any curve in the spine worse, or a new curve may appear. If your core and back muscles are weak, they do not give your spine the support it needs to be in the right place. Knowing these things is important to make a good scoliosis treatment plan that can help slow it down. But, what happens to your spine can be about more than only wear and tear from movement.
Hormonal Influences on Curve Progression
The reasons why adult scoliosis gets worse over time are not simple. It is not just about stress on the spine. Studies say that things like biology and hormones also play a big part in curve progression. They can even change how fast the curve gets worse. Hormones are strong chemicals in the body. They help control many things, like the health of bones and signals in the nerves. These things matter a lot for cam and keeping the spine stable in adult scoliosis.
For example, when the hormones in your body are not in balance, it can change the way your body keeps bone strength and muscle firmness. This can be a cause of scoliosis getting worse, especially with degenerative scoliosis, where the spine is already at risk. When you reach skeletal maturity, your hormones can still change as you get older. These changes can affect the severity of symptoms and how fast the spine keeps curving.
This is why waiting to see what happens is often not enough for adults. To slow down or stop the problem from getting worse, you need a treatment plan that is active. This plan should look at what is happening in your body. When you know how hormones can affect you, you can build a treatment plan that focuses on helping your spine from the inside out. This way, you manage your condition better.
Insights from Recent Studies on Curve Progression
Recent studies give us good information on how to manage curve progression in adult patients. One study looked at non-surgical ways for adults with degenerative scoliosis. This study was called “Pain and Radiographic Changes in Adult Scoliosis Patients Using a Scoliosis Activity Suit: Case-Controlled 10-Year Follow-Up Results.” It followed 22 adult patients with adult degenerative scoliosis. The main goal was to see if the activity suit could keep their curve from getting worse or help improve it. You can read the full study here
The results were good. After the treatment, the average Cobb angle used in scoliosis diagnosis dropped quite a bit. It means the curve progression stopped or even got a better. Most adults see the curve get worse over time. The study shows that using proactive and non-invasive ways can help people deal with different types of scoliosis.
The results show that for many adult patients, tools like the ScoliSMART Activity Suit may be a good option instead of just watching the curve. It gives a way for people to take part in treatment. This may help avoid surgical procedures later.
Strategies to Prevent Curve Progression in Adult Scoliosis
If you have adult scoliosis, the main thing to do is stop the curve progression and take care of any pain. It’s good to act early when thinking about your scoliosis treatment. This can help a lot. Most of the time, you use a mix of things made just for you. You focus on making your body stronger and giving your spine the help it needs.
Key parts of a management plan are a targeted exercise program and physical therapy. These help you build core strength, improve flexibility, and fix muscle imbalances that may cause your spine to curve. Along with formal exercises, simple lifestyle changes—like keeping a healthy weight and using good posture—can also lower stress on your spine. Trying out these strategies can help you feel in control of your spinal health.
ScoliSMART Activity Suit and Its Role in Curve Management
Among the different treatment options for adult scoliosis, the ScoliSMART Activity Suit is something new. It is not like the usual hard brace that just keeps your spine still. This activity suit is made for you to wear when you exercise. The suit helps your body learn new ways to hold itself better by making your muscles remember how to keep a straighter posture. Over time, the brain and the muscles start to work together and help make the curve in your spine less.
The suit uses something called auto-response training. When you move, the suit gives you some resistance. This helps your muscles work without you thinking about it. Your muscles start to pull your spine into a better position. This makes the suit a key part of your exercise program. It turns even simple moves into a strong kind of therapy. It also works well with physical therapy because it helps build core strength and helps you stand or sit in a better way.
The ScoliSMART Activity Suit is good for adults. It helps them in many ways because it is made for their needs.
- Actively works muscles to help build core strength.
- Helps make postural changes that last.
- Can be part of a home exercise program.
- Gives a non-invasive way to help manage curve progression.
By helping your body change how it handles posture on its own, the suit gives you a way to deal with your scoliosis early on. It also helps make your spine feel better and stronger as time goes by.
Watch this short video to learn how you can get the ScoliSMART Activity Suit Online with free global shipping!
The Role of Advanced Therapies and Testing
Standard scoliosis treatment, like physical therapy and regular check-ups, is a good place to start for most people. But for some adults, these treatment options may not stop curve progression or take away all the symptoms. When this happens, you may need more advanced therapies or special tests. These can give you a care plan that is made just for you. The new treatment options focus on more than just your spine. They also look at the biological factors in your body that can affect scoliosis and its curve progression.
One way to find out more about your body is hormone testing. We have talked about how hormone levels that are not right can play a part in curve progression. They do this by changing the health of your bones, how your muscles work, and even the signals that tell your body how to hold itself up. When you know if you have hormone problems, you can make a treatment plan that looks at the main cause of your curve progression. It is not just about making you feel better, the treatment plan aims to fix what is really wrong. This can make a big difference for adults who want to feel in charge of their spine health.
Hormone Testing for Adult Scoliosis
For adults who have scoliosis, and people with degenerative scoliosis, it is important to know what is going on inside the body. This is just as important as watching the spine itself. The Scoliosis Doctor has a special hormone test for you. It helps find any problems that might be causing your curve to get worse. You can do this easy test at home. It checks the main hormones and brain signals linked to idiopathic scoliosis and curve progression.
The process is simple. You take a urine sample at home. Then, you send it to a lab where it gets checked. The results show you how your body is working. They can tell if you have not enough or too much of things like serotonin or melatonin. These are important for your bones and muscles. Knowing this helps to build a treatment plan that fits you. It is not just basic exercises. You can read more about this testing at.
With this information, your doctor can suggest the right nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes for you. These steps can help fix body imbalances. This way, you can have a better inside environment to support your spine. It may slow down curve progression in adult scoliosis and can help you feel better as a whole. When you work on the main genetic and hormonal reasons, hormone testing gives you a good way to manage adult scoliosis before problems get worse.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is important to know about adult scoliosis and how curve progression works if you want to handle it well. When you see how adult scoliosis is not like childhood scoliosis, know what usually causes it, and notice the signs, you can start to look after your spine better. Using things like the ScoliSMART Activity Suit or looking at new treatments like hormone testing may really help to stop curve progression. If you want to read more about how the body can change the curve, you can see the full study here. You can also find out more about how hormone testing can help with scoliosis by going to this link. Doing these things can give you power and make your quality of life better with adult scoliosis and will also help with curve progression.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can adult scoliosis progression ever be fully stopped?
While doctors may not be able to fully “cure” adult scoliosis, the right scoliosis treatment can often stop curve progression or make it much slower. Non-surgical treatment options focus on making muscles stronger and helping with other key body factors. In some severe cases, if the curve keeps getting worse and you feel a lot of pain, your doctor may talk about a surgical treatment called spinal fusion. This surgery is done to keep the spine steady for good. For every treatment option, the main goal is to stop the curve from getting worse and help make your quality of life better.
Are there exercises safe for all adults with scoliosis?
Not every exercise is safe for everyone with scoliosis, even though many can be good for you. It is important to talk with a doctor or a physical therapist who knows how to work with people with scoliosis. They can do a physical exam and suggest an exercise program that fits your curve pattern. For most adult patients, low-impact exercises that help build the core muscles are safe. Some good examples are swimming and targeted stretching. High-impact activities or sports that use mostly one side of the body may need to be changed or not done at all.
How does adult scoliosis differ from dowager’s hump?
Adult scoliosis is when the spine curves from side to side. It gives the back an “S” or “C” shape. A dowager’s hump, also called kyphosis, is different. It makes the upper back round forward, so the person looks hunched.
Poor posture can play a part in both problems. A dowager’s hump is a front-to-back spinal condition. Adult scoliosis is a side-to-side spinal curvature. Even though they are not the same, a person can have both types at the same time. These spinal conditions both affect how the upper back looks and feels.
