Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a disease which involves a lateral curvature of the spine; that is, the spine is bent sideways.

Management

The management of a scoliosis is determined by the extent of the scoliosis. A number of methods are used to decide upon the most appropriate treatment. In most instances a mild scoliosis requires no specific treatment.

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The options are:

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1. Bracing

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2. Physiotherapy

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A now-defunct treatment once involved the use of a Harrington implant. This process consisted of screwing the 1.5-foot-long implant to two points on the spine: the base and the area between the shoulders. Bone was also sometimes fused in between the vertebrae to further restrict bending of the spine. Since the Harrington Implant was often present in a patient's body for his or her entire lifetime, the spine was slowly forced to straighten. This surgery has been performed on only a few hundred people, due to the high risk of paralysis.

Related Topics:
Harrington implant - Bone - Vertebrae - Paralysis

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Spinal fusion is now the most widely performed surgery for scoliosis. In this procedure, bone from elsewhere in the body is fused in between the vertebrae to restrict spinal movement.

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