Causes of Scoliosis

Scoliosis can act as an independent disease, as well as a symptom of other known disease. Intricate combination of causes and effects of symptoms of scoliosis causes significant difficulties in its treatment.

Myopathic scoliosis is caused by lack of muscle and ligaments. The appearance of rachitic scoliosis caused by failure of neuromuscular and skeletal tissue. Rachitic scoliosis is found in children 2 - 3 years. In older children who have had infectious disease characterized by weakness and musculo-ligamentous apparatus of the so-called developing habitual or school scoliosis. Contribute to disease development (not being the cause) of long-term non-uniform load on the spine: sitting at an uncomfortable desk, wearing a portfolio in one hand, etc.

Scoliosis of neurogenic origin arise from polio, neurofibromatosis, syringomyelia, spastic paralysis, sciatica, lyumboishialgii and strain, leading to compression of the roots of spinal nerves.Neurogenic scoliosis are also accompanied by precipitation of the functions of individual groups of muscles and neuro-trophic changes in the spine and ligaments.

Congenital scoliosis caused by dysplastic (dysplasia - abnormal development) changes in the vertebrae and ribs. There are anomalies of the vertebral bodies (wedges, etc), handles and processes, variations in the number of vertebral anomalies are of mixed character. Congenital anomalies are detected in the first year of life, the disease usually progresses slowly. For severe dysplastic scoliosis is scoliosis of the lumbosacral caused by dysplasia, and I V lumbar sacral vertebrae, the scoliosis is found in children aged 8 - 10 years.

The most numerous group consists of idiopathic scoliosis , ie scoliosis of unknown nature. They all have similar clinical and radiological signs. The clinical picture of spinal deformity is expressed in its gradual distortion in the front (side) and sagittal (anteroposterior) planes, and torso (twist). When scoliosis first degree is determined by the weakness of the muscles of the back, shoulder girdle asymmetry, the location of the angles of the blades, lateral curvature of the spine (predominantly in the right thoracic and left - in the lumbar), the presence of the muscular ridge in the lumbar spine occurs as a result of its rotation. When scoliosis second and third degree angles of the blades are asymmetrical, there is a pronounced rib hump, shoulder girdle asymmetry is detected, and their plane does not coincide with the plane of the pelvis; protivoiskrivlenie appears in the lumbar spine and torso a deviation from the vertical axis. When scoliosis fourth degree increase in body length of stops, all of the body is shifted to the main arc of curvature of the spine, thorax strongly deformed, which leads to a shift in the internal organs, especially in severe cases, compression of the spinal cord, growing signs of paresis or even paralysis of the lower extremities.

There are many theories of origin of idiopathic scoliosis, but none of them does not give a full explanation. Anyway, most theories converge on the fact that idiopathic scoliosis is caused by musculo-ligamentous, neuromuscular impairment, or developmental disorders of bone. Some researchers (Farkas, 1954; Kazmin, 1974) believe that the abnormal return of the connective tissue leads to epiphysiolysis (sprout damage epiphyseal cartilage, which is localized in the Rostov area of ​​the bone), which in turn causes displacement of the spinal nucleus pulposus disk, prejudice the development of deformation. We see that the causes of idiopathic scoliosis is likely to lie fairly deep, at the level of tissues and metabolic processes, which explains the lack of effective methods of treatment. In the origin and development of idiopathic scoliosis is important genetic factor. Modern research has noted the high incidence of scoliosis risk in families where there are already sick, not only for the first, but for the second and third degree relatives. For example, if first-degree relatives of the incidence of scoliosis than the average for the population at 10-20.