Did you know that according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, scoliosis affects 2 to 3% of the population in the US alone, which makes up around six to nine million people?
Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. And there are many different scoliosis types that we will discuss in this article.
The different types of scoliosis depend upon the age, primary cause, and degree of progression. And determining the various kinds of scoliosis helps us treat the root cause of scoliosis.
Moreover, it’s important to know the scoliosis curve types along with the scoliosis types. This is because different types of scoliosis have different types of curves.
Let’s know about the scoliosis types and scoliosis curve types in a bit more detail.
Scoliosis Types
Before we proceed to discuss the different types of scoliosis, let’s first know the two types of spinal deformities leading to scoliosis.
- Structural scoliosis
- Non-structural or functional scoliosis
These are the two scoliosis types that help in further classifying scoliosis.
Structural scoliosis occurs due to an injury, causing a change in the normal anatomy of the spine. This means there is an abnormal curve in the spine as well as spinal rotation.
Moreover, this type of scoliosis is serious and can result in permanent damage to the spine if not treated at an early stage.
On the other hand, non-structural or functional scoliosis is temporary and resolves on its own or by staying in the forward-bending position or laying down. In this scoliosis type, there is a minor curve in the spine but no spinal rotation.
All of the following scoliosis types that we’ll discuss comes under the structural type of scoliosis.
Different Types of Scoliosis
Note: There are different ways to classify the types of scoliosis. However, the easiest way to remember scoliosis types is to divide them into four main categories.
We divide the four different types of scoliosis based on cause and age onset. Furthermore, these scoliosis types present as mild, moderate, and severe forms depending on the cobb angle of the curve.
However, we’ll explain that later when we will discuss the types of spinal curves. Let’s first highlight the four different types of scoliosis.
Idiopathic Scoliosis
The term idiopathic means a condition has no definite cause. This is the most common type of scoliosis. And idiopathic scoliosis has further scoliosis types based on the age of onset.
Infantile idiopathic scoliosis (0 to 3 years)
Around 1% of children are diagnosed with this type of scoliosis. And unlike the other scoliosis types, infantile scoliosis is more common in boys than girls.
Juvenile idiopathic scoliosis (4 to 10 years)
It is also known as early-onset scoliosis. Some doctors believe that it may arise due to Arnold-Chiari syndrome or syringomyelia (nervous system disorders). However, the exact cause is still not known.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (11 to 18 years)
This is the most common type of scoliosis occurring in 80% of the cases. Some studies say that it might arise due to age-related growth spurts.
Or there might be a congenital cause of this type of scoliosis that appeared later, as most of the time, scoliosis shows up after puberty.
Adult idiopathic scoliosis (18 above)
This type of idiopathic scoliosis is uncommon. This is because in adults, degenerative scoliosis is more common and it rarely arises spontaneously.
Congenital Scoliosis
The word congenital refers to a condition that occurs in newborns due to some congenital anomaly or genetic predisposition.
It is present at the time of birth. However, congenital scoliosis sometimes may go unnoticed and appear in later years.
Besides, congenital scoliosis is very rare, affecting only one in 10,000 newborns. Following are the probable causes of congenital scoliosis;
- Abnormal formation of bony vertebrae
- Absence of one or more vertebral bones
- Improper fusion of the vertebral bones
Neuromuscular Scoliosis
This type of scoliosis is secondary to the spinal cord or muscular deformities. The term neuro refers to the spinal cord and brain. And the word muscular means muscles.
So to put it all together, there is an improper alignment of the spinal cord, brain, and muscles resulting in an abnormal curvature of the spine.
Note: This type of scoliosis is progressive. The most common sign you will find in these patients is the inability to walk. Which in turn leads to scoliosis.
Following are a few disorders leading to neuromuscular scoliosis.
- Cerebral palsy
- muscular dystrophy
- Spina bifida
- Marfan syndrome
- Poliomyelitis
Degenerative (De novo Scoliosis)
As the name suggests, there is degeneration of the joints resulting in scoliosis. It most commonly occurs in adults over the age of 50. Hence, it is also known as adult-onset scoliosis.
According to recent studies, there is a 68% risk of developing scoliosis in people 60-70 years of age. And degenerative scoliosis most commonly affects the lumbar spine, making a C-shape curve which represents scoliosis.
Moreover, this type of scoliosis gradually progresses to advanced stages and unlike other scoliosis types, de novo scoliosis is painful. The pain is usually dull and radiates to the legs with an associated tingling sensation.
Now that we know about the various types of scoliosis, let’s highlight the different scoliosis curves types and causes.
Types of Scoliosis Curves
Take a moment and observe someone from the back. You should see a straight spine. If there is any curve in the spine as occurs in scoliosis, lordosis, and kyphosis, the spine will be considered abnormal.
Different types of scoliosis curves help us in evaluating the severity of the condition. However, it’s not easy to tell the severity of scoliosis just by looking at the spine.
Varying from mild to moderate, the types of scoliosis curves can only be determined by specialists.
Following are the different kinds of curves seen in scoliosis patients.
Right Thoracic Curve
An easy way to remember the types of scoliosis curves is to learn them by name. A right thoracic curve has a C-shape and occurs in the thoracic region.
This type of scoliosis is known as thoracic dextroscoliosis. And it rarely progresses to severe forms.
Right Lumbar Curve
As the name suggests, this type of curve affects the lower back (lumbar region) of the spine. It is a rare condition and is also known as dextroconvex scoliosis.
However, usually when there is scoliosis of the lumbar spine, the spine curves towards the left side. This condition is known as lumbar levoscoliosis.
Right Thoracolumbar Curve
It’s in the name!
As the name implies, a thoracolumbar curve is a big C-shape curve that starts from the thoracic spine and ends in the lumbar region.
Double Major Curve
A double major curve also involves the thoracic and lumbar regions. However, this type of scoliosis curve forms an S-shape rather than a C-shape.
And the curve most commonly bugles towards the right side in the thoracic spine and towards the left in the lumbar region.
FAQs
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type of scoliosis. We don’t know the exact cause and reason behind this.
However, scoliosis most commonly affects the growing bones and the degenerating bones. Perhaps, there is a link, but no one can say that for sure.
There are four main scoliosis curve types. However, very rarely the spine may form a triple major curve in children. This type of scoliosis curvature affects the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar region.
Conclusion
So that was all about the scoliosis types and the different types of scoliosis curves affecting the spine. The most common type of scoliosis as we know it now is idiopathic scoliosis.
One more thing to remember is;
Patient’s age, bone maturity, the position of the curve, and the severity of symptoms help in choosing the right treatment option for scoliosis.
And the sooner you get the treatment, the better!