• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
UCLA Spine Center

UCLA Spine Center

UCLA Spine Center
  • About Us
    • Why Choose the UCLA Spine Center
    • Overview
    • In The News
    • Webinars
    • Make a Gift
  • Conditions
    • Adult Scoliosis
    • Adult Tethered Cord
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Basilar Invagination
    • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
    • Cervical Disc Herniation
    • Cervical Fracture
    • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
    • Chiari Malformation
    • Facet Joint Arthritis
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Idiopathic Scoliosis
    • Lumbar Disc Herniation
    • Lumbar Stenosis
    • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
    • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
    • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
    • Osteomyelitis
    • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
    • Platybasia
    • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
    • Spinal Compression Fractures
    • Spinal Cord Injury
    • Spinal Cord Tumors
    • Syringomyelia
    • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
    • Thoracic Spine Fracture
    • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Treatments
    • Nonsurgical Treatment
    • Surgical Treatment
  • For Patients
    • Appointments
    • New Patient Questionnaires
    • Choosing a Multidisciplinary Pain Program
    • Patient Education Videos
    • Understanding Neck and Back Pain
    • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
    • Physiatrists
    • Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting
    • Fitness
    • Planning Your Spine Surgery
    • Preparing for Surgery
    • Patient Stories
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Health Plans
    • Helpful Resources
  • Contact Us
    • Map and Directions
  • Fellowship Programs
    • UCLA—WLA VA Pain Medicine Fellowship
    • Neurosurgery Spine Fellowship
    • Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship
    • UCLA Spine Center PMR Spine Medicine Fellowship
  • For Healthcare Professionals
    • Physician Directory
    • New Patient Questionnaires
  • Physician Directory
    • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
    • Physiatrists
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

UCLA Spine Center

Conditions

Conditions

Conditions

  • Adult Scoliosis
  • Adult Tethered Cord
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Basilar Invagination
  • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Cervical Disc Herniation
  • Cervical Fracture
  • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
  • Chiari Malformation
  • Facet Joint Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Idiopathic Scoliosis
  • Lumbar Disc Herniation
  • Lumbar Stenosis
  • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
  • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
  • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
  • Platybasia
  • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
  • Spinal Compression Fractures
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Spinal Cord Tumors
  • Syringomyelia
  • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
  • Thoracic Spine Fracture
  • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Adult Scoliosis
  • Adult Tethered Cord
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Basilar Invagination
  • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Cervical Disc Herniation
  • Cervical Fracture
  • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
  • Chiari Malformation
  • Facet Joint Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Idiopathic Scoliosis
  • Lumbar Disc Herniation
  • Lumbar Stenosis
  • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
  • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
  • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
  • Platybasia
  • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
  • Spinal Compression Fractures
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Spinal Cord Tumors
  • Syringomyelia
  • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
  • Thoracic Spine Fracture
  • Trochanteric Bursitis
  1. Home
  2. Conditions
  3. Adult Scoliosis

Adult Scoliosis

Share this

What You Should Know About Adult Scoliosis

Scoliosis is defined as a curve of the spine of 10 degrees. Adult scoliosis is broadly defined as a curve in your spine of 10 degrees or greater in a person 18 years of age or older. Adult scoliosis is separated into 2 common categories:

  • Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis patients have had scoliosis since childhood or as a teenager and have grown into adulthood.  We do not yet know the cause of idiopathic scoliosis, but there is a lot of genetic work going on in an attempt to answer this question.
  • Adult "De Novo" or Degenerative Scoliosis develops in adulthood. Degenerative scoliosis develops as a result of disc degeneration. As the disc degenerates, it loses height. If one side of the disc degenerates more rapidly than the other, the disc begins to tilt. As it tilts, more pressure is placed on one side of your spine and gravity tends to cause the spine to bend and curve. The more discs that degenerate, the more the spine begins to curve.

Symptoms

Both types of adult scoliosis can progress over time. If the curves reach 30 to 40 degrees, the deformity may be noticed by a hump or prominence in the area of the spine that is involved. Curves that reach 50 degrees or greater, may progress more rapidly then those that are less than 50 degrees. Adults with large curves may have symptoms of back pain, and if it progresses above 80 degrees in the thoracic spine, they may complain of shortness of breath with activity. The shortness of breath is due to the affect on lung function. Rarely does adult scoliosis alone cause paralysis or other severe neurologic problems, but it can be associated with lumbar stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal or tube where the nerves lay), which can result in nerve irritation, leg pain and possibly weakness.  Patients can also develop a posture that is pitched forward, and be unable to stand up straight.  This can be occur with scoliosis and with age as the discs degenerate.

Diagnosis

Scoliosis can be recognized and diagnosed with a clinical exam, but xrays are necessary to fully evaluate the magnitude and type of scoliosis present. For a proper scoliosis evaluation, full length, whole spine xrays need to be performed. An MRI may also be recommended if there are symptoms of leg pain that may be associated with stenosis or if there is concern about possible spinal cord compression or abnormalities.

Treatment

The treatment of adult scoliosis is very individualized and based on the specific symptoms and age of the patient. Many patients have scoliosis and have very minor symptoms and live with it without treatment. Patients with predominant symptoms of back pain would typically be treated with physical therapy. Patients with back pain and leg pain may receive some benefit from injection treatment to help relieve the leg pain.  If lumbar stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) is present and is unresponsive to non-surgical treatment, then a decompression( removal of bone and ligaments pressing on the nerves) may be recommended. If the scoliosis is greater than 30 degrees, a fusion procedure will most likely be recommended along with the decompression. The fusion is recommended to prevent the curve from progressing when the spine is destabilized by the bone removal that is necessary to  decompress the nerves. Fusions are usually accompanied with metal rod and screw placement into the spine to help correct and stabilize the scoliosis and help the bone heal or fuse together. The length of the fusion, or the number of spine levels included, depends on the type of scoliosis and the area of the spine involved. The goal of adult scoliosis surgery is to first remove pressure on the nerves, and second to keep the scoliosis from progressing further.

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Add Us to Your Google+ Circles Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare
  • UCLA Health
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Publications
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Emergency
  • Smoke-Free
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-800-UCLA-MD1
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Report Broken Links
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Add Us to Your Google+ Circles Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare

Sign in to myUCLAhealth