Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine that is usually painless but can result in chronic back pain if left untreated. Severe cases in young children can cause deformities, impair development and be life threatening.

In most people, the spine appears straight when viewed from behind. However, patients with scoliosis have one or more side-to-side spinal curvatures. Scoliosis is diagnosed when a patient has a spinal curvature greater than 10 degrees.

Scoliosis is most often found in patients between 10 and 14 years old, although it can also affect infants. In infancy, boys are at higher risk for scoliosis than girls, but girls are at much higher risk for developing scoliosis after age 3.

Most cases of scoliosis, especially those among adolescents, have an unknown origin. Certain birth defects and neuromuscular diseases also cause spinal problems that may result in scoliosis.