Types of Scoliosis

Types list: The list of types of Scoliosis mentioned in various sources includes:

• Types of scoliosis based on age:
• Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis - most common type; over 10 years old.
• Infantile idiopathic scoliosis - when aged under 3.
• Juvenile idiopathic scoliosis - occurs ages 3-10
• Types of scoliosis based on the cause of scoliosis:
• Nonstructural (functional) scoliosis - a temporary condition caused by some underlying condition.
• Structural scoliosis - a fixed curve not always caused by an underlying condition.
• Types of scoliosis based on the apex of the spinal curvature:
• Thoracic curve scoliosis
• Lumbar curve scoliosis
• Thoracolumbar curve scoliosis

Types discussion: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (scoliosis of unknown cause) is the most common type and occurs after the age of 10. Girls are more likely than boys to have this type of scoliosis. Since scoliosis can run in families, a child who has a parent, brother, or sister with idiopathic scoliosis should be checked regularly for scoliosis by the family physician.

Idiopathic scoliosis can also occur in children younger than 10 years of age, but is very rare. Early onset or infantile idiopathic scoliosis occurs in children less than 3 years old. It is more common in Europe than in the United States. Juvenile idiopathic scoliosis occurs in children between the ages of 3 and 10. ¹

Causes of curves are classified as either nonstructural or structural.

• Nonstructural (functional) scoliosis--A structurally normal spine that appears curved. This is a temporary, changing curve. It is caused by an underlying condition such as a difference in leg length, muscle spasms, or inflammatory conditions such as appendicitis. Doctors treat this type of scoliosis by correcting the underlying problem.
• Structural scoliosis--A fixed curve that doctors treat case by case. Sometimes structural scoliosis is one part of a syndrome or disease, such as Marfan's syndrome, an inherited connective tissue disorder. In other cases, it occurs by itself. Structural scoliosis can be caused by neuromuscular diseases (such as cerebral palsy, poliomyelitis, or muscular dystrophy), birth defects (such as hemivertebra, in which one side of a vertebra fails to form normally before birth), injury, certain infections, tumors (such as those caused by neurofibromatosis, a birth defect sometimes associated with benign tumors on the spinal column), metabolic diseases, connective tissue disorders, rheumatic diseases, or unknown factors (idiopathic scoliosis).

Doctors group curves of the spine by their location, shape, pattern, and cause. They use this information to decide how best to treat the scoliosis.

• Location--To identify a curve's location, doctors find the apex of the curve (the vertebra within the curve that is the most off-center); the location of the apex is the "location" of the curve. A thoracic curve has its apex in the thoracic area (the part of the spine to which the ribs attach). A lumbar curve has its apex in the lower back. A thoracolumbar curve has its apex where the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae join.
• Shape--The curve usually is S- or C-shaped.
• Pattern--Curves frequently follow patterns that have been studied in previous patients (see "Curve Patterns" diagram). The larger the curve is, the more likely it will progress (depending on the amount of growth remaining).