What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a term used to describe a lateral or sideways bending of the spine and can be caused by several factors. It can be classified as congenital (due to vertebral (spinal bone) abnormalities at birth), idiopathic (of unknown cause) or neuromuscular (as a consequence of a neuromuscular disorder such as cerebral palsy or spinal muscle atrophy).
Symptoms
A rib prominence, uneven shoulders, uneven hips and a leg length discrepancy are the main signs of scoliosis. Some muscular differences can also be seen. As the deformity progresses, it can cause pain and in the more severe cases breathing difficulties.
Treatments
A Thoraco Lumbar Sacral Orthosis (TLSO), such as a Boston brace, is used to prevent or reduce the progression of the deformity.
Where the Scoliosis is purely postural the use of a shoe raise adaptation to address an associated leg length discrepancy can be useful.
