Scoliosis in Adults: Differences in Causes & Treatment

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When diagnosed with scoliosis, adults often don't understand what causes it and their treatment options. Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine with added rotation into the vertebrae with the scoliosis of 10 degrees or more.

When looking at Scoliosis prevalence, people are often misguided to think that Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis or AIS, which is scoliosis with an unknown cause, is the most common. Still, in reality, scoliosis affects children and adults just as much.

The most common type of scoliosis in adults is an adolescent scoliosis that was left untreated because it was never severe enough to be detected when the patient was an adolescent. Then later in life, due to pain, an injury, accident, X-ray, or another form of imaging, their scoliosis is discovered.

The most common thing that brings the diagnosis will often be pain. Also, degenerative changes can occur to the spine due to misalignment, which causes the bones in the spine to degenerate and turn into an abnormal shape. This leads to what we know as degenerative scoliosis in adults.

This degeneration of the spine impacts spinal discs and the position of the spine leading to irregular curvatures. The number one symptom in adult cases is pain, unlike in adolescents, where the symptoms are often postural changes, visible misalignment of the ribs, or uneven hips, waist, or shoulders.

The pain in adult cases of scoliosis comes with stiffness and abnormal range of motion, it can be in the back directly, or it could manifest as radicular pain too. This pain is common in the adult stage of scoliosis because of how it progresses, resulting from gravity compressing the spine over time.

At this point is when patients go to get examined by a physician, looking for the source of the pain, and their scoliosis is diagnosed. In the adult stage, scoliosis worsens over time, and as it becomes more severe, it is more difficult to treat.

The Cobb Angle is how the severity of scoliosis is determined. Twenty-five degrees or less of a Cobb angle is mild scoliosis, when left untreated, it can progress to moderate scoliosis between 25-40 degrees, and if it becomes larger than 40 degrees, it is considered severe. If the curve is 80 degrees or greater Dr. Tony Nalda refers to it as very severe scoliosis.

Scoliosis treatment is done depending on the age of the patient and how rapidly their scoliosis is progressing. In the case of adolescents, their scoliosis is often of rapid growth. And the bigger the curve becomes, the more likely it is to grow rapidly. That's why even for younger patients, the sooner they receive treatment, the better.

In adults, scoliotic curves do not progress rapidly. However, in the ages of 80 to 90 years of age, there is a rapid progression due to the accumulation of gravity pressure over time, a weaker spine, and spinal deterioration. From the adult ages of 20 to 40 years, curves progress very slowly. After the age of 40, curves increase their progression rate, doubling what they were growing in previous years. At the age of 60, this happens again, and once again at the age of 80.

It could even reach a point where scoliosis surgery is the only option because the patient can no longer be treated conservatively. Even though age is never a problem for conservative treatment, the results are not the same. The treatment can also be refocused; instead of getting a reduction, it could be done to improve flexibility and curve stabilization, improving pain levels and overall spinal function.

So, waiting for a curve to worsen is never the best idea. Early evaluation and treatment to manage progression is always the best approach. As well as monitoring the scoliosis development to see what type of progression is occurring and work towards reducing the curve size while it is still small, rather than waiting until it is more difficult to treat and causes more issues.

Click the link for a scoliosis consultation:

Visit the blog post:

00:00 - Scoliosis in Adults: Differences in Causes & Treatment
00:50 - Most Common Age Group For Scoliosis
01:24 - What Type Of Scoliosis Affects Adults?
02:34 - Symptom Driven Diagnosis
04:46 - Scoliosis Severity & Progression
07:31 - Treatment Goals = Successful Treatment

[fibromyalgiajourney-denisebowe]

Thank you so much!! I pulled my lab report and noticed Scoliosis. I decided to find out more. My MRI has spinal stenosis, DDD and DJD. Working with PT, Ortho Surgeon and Rheumatologist. Using dry cupping and dry needling for pain.

[annemariethomson]

As always informative, easy to understand video. Thank you

[karennogare]

Thank you for your informative videos I have gained much helpful knowledge. I am 54 years old female suffering with S shape Scoliosis 21 degree cobb angle I suffer from mid back burning and aching pain and lower back pain. I feel like my torso to my pelvis is so tight and restrictive I feel like I have been dipped in concrete. I struggle with walking I so stiff. Saw physio for exercises to assist. Greetings from Australia.

[annemariethomson]

Hi I have 4 herniated discs. 3 lower lumber and 1 in neck. I get Radio Frequency Denervation for the disc in my neck about every 2 years which gives me relief from eye headaches. I have loss of height at every level. My Orthopaedic consultant diagnosed me with very significant Scoliosis. On the xray it shows a curve c shape. This will be left untreated because he said due to state of my spine it wasn't worth operating because the risks outweigh the benefits. I am 59 year old woman from Scotland I've started to get pain in my ribs and hip on the side of the curve and I feel a bit lopsided but it's not really obvious. Do untreated curves progress faster? I have been told there are no pain injections that I can get in my back, my consultant at Pain Clinic told me that. So I take lots of tablets . My Scoliosis isn't being monitored by doctor, Orthopaedic consultant nor Pain Clinic. Will I end up deformed?

[sonalvlogs]

Hello, my age 33 & am from India, and have severe scoliosis with s shape 50° & 58° curve, I have much pain and stiffness am very scared what should I do? I want treatment done, how i can consult you for better treatment and

[leonaowen]

Age 69 just found out I have lumbar 19% curve to the right. Question is why does it hurt between my shoulder blades, can ususally function till lunch then stinging between shoulder blades tend to need to lay flat on back about hour. Is the pain in that area caused by nerve pinch?