Treatments - Scoliosis
Decision for scoliosis treatment decisions are primarily based on two factors:
- The skeletal maturity of the patient (or rather, how much more growth can be expected)
- The degree of spinal curvature.
Although the cause of idiopathic scoliosis is unknown, the way scoliosis curves behave is fairly well understood. Basically, the younger the patient and the bigger the curve, the more likely the curve is to progress.
There are essentially three scoliosis treatment options for adolescents:
- Observation
- Back braces
Observation
The scoliosis curvature is measured on x-rays by what is known as the Cobb method, and this form of measurement is accurate to within 3 to 5 degrees.
