Scoliosis – What is it? http://bit.ly/ZWahxT Nearly twice as many females as males will suffer from scoliosis – an abnormal curvature of the spine. It affects approximately 2% of the female population compared to only around 0.5% of males. The most common form of the disorder is known as idiopathic scoliosis. The cause of this type is unknown. Around 80% of people who suffer from this condition fall into this bracket and most of these are adolescent females. If diagnosed when a patient is less than three years old it is referred to as infantile scoliosis. For three to ten year olds it is called juvenile scoliosis and those older than ten years, adolescent scoliosis. Children of people with idiopathic scoliosis are more likely to also have the condition. It is most commonly seen in children over ten years of age. No connection has been found regarding the severity of curvatures between generations. Functional scoliosis is another form, where a perfectly normal spine develops a curve in response to another problem in the body. For example, one leg could be shorter than the other or muscle spasms may be occurring in the back. Neuromuscular scoliosis is caused when vertebrae do not develop properly and also when the bones fail to separate during foetal development. Confirmation of these spinal deformities at birth is diagnosed as congenital scoliosis. It is usual for birth defects, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Marfan’s disease and similar disorders to also be present. Consequently this type of scoliosis often has a greater degree of severity necessitating more radical treatment. A fourth type which only occurs in older adults is called degenerative scoliosis. Arthritis causes changes in the spine known as spondylosis. Abnormal bone spurs combined with the weakening of normal ligaments and other soft tissues can lead to an abnormal curvature of the spine. The spine can also be affected by osteoporosis, vertebral compression fractures, and disc degeneration. Benign but painful tumours such as osteoid osteomata occur in the spine and are another potential cause of scoliosis. To reduce the pain and the amount of pressure applied to the tumour, persons affected lean to the opposite side which in turn can lead to a deformity or spinal scoliosis. Scoliosis comes is many forms and can occur at any age, but the most common form is AIS or Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, affecting about 80% of diagnosed scoliosis. Looking to find the best treatment results with href=’http://bodyandspinealign.com.au/scoliosis-2, then visit scoliosis to find the best information on causes of scoliosis .