What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis can affect how your back looks and how your body feels day to day. For many teens, it is found during a routine check and may not hurt, but it can affect confidence because of visible asymmetry. For adults, scoliosis is more likely to show up as back pain, leg symptoms (from irritated nerves), and reduced tolerance for standing or walking. Adult scoliosis becomes more common with age, especially when age-related wear and tear affects discs and joints.¹

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is often reported in roughly 0.47% to 5.2% of adolescents, depending on how it is measured. [2] Many people do well, especially with the right monitoring and a plan matched to their curve size and stage of growth. ³

What are the symptoms of scoliosis?

• Uneven shoulders or hips
• One shoulder blade that sticks out more
• A rib hump or trunk prominence when bending forward
• A waistline that looks uneven, or the body leaning to one side
• Clothes that hang unevenly
• Back ache or muscle fatigue, especially in adults
• Leg pain, numbness, or tingling in adults when nerves are irritated by narrowing in the spine¹

What causes scoliosis?

Scoliosis is not caused by bad posture, sports, or carrying a backpack.

In many children and teens, there is no single clear cause. This is called adolescent idiopathic (without a scoliosis, and experts believe it is influenced by a mix of genetics and growth-related factors.⁴

What matters most for many families is not the “why,” but the “will it get worse.” Progression risk is higher when:

• There is a lot of growth left, because curves can change faster during growth spurts³
• The curve is bigger at diagnosis, because larger curves are more likely to progress⁵
• The person is female, because girls are more likely to develop curves that become clinically significant²

In adults, scoliosis often develops or worsens due to uneven disc and joint degeneration over time (adult degenerative scoliosis). Symptoms are often driven by wear and tear, stiffness, and sometimes nerve compression.¹

When should I see a doctor?

It is a good idea to check in with a clinician if you notice new or worsening asymmetry, changes during a growth spurt, or pain that is limiting daily life.

How is scoliosis treated?

Most people with scoliosis do not need surgery. Care usually starts with monitoring and active treatment, and only escalates when the curve is at higher risk of getting worse or symptoms are severe.

Common treatment options include:

• Education and activity: Staying active is usually encouraged, and learning what drives progression helps people feel more in control.³
• Exercise-based rehab: Scoliosis-specific exercises may help posture, trunk control, and quality of life. Effects on curve size can be modest and vary across studies.⁶
• Bracing: For growing teens with moderate curves, bracing has strong evidence for lowering the chance a curve progresses enough to require surgery. More brace wear time is linked to better results.⁷
• Medications: In adults, medicines like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may help symptoms, but they do not correct the curve.¹
• Injections: Sometimes used in adults when leg pain comes from nerve irritation, typically as part of a broader plan.¹
• Surgery: Considered when curves are large or progressing, or when adults have severe pain, nerve symptoms, or major imbalance that does not improve with non-operative care. Adult surgery generally has higher risks than adolescent surgery.^{1 7}

Recovery and timelines depend on age and treatment. In teens, bracing often continues until growth slows or ends. In adults, symptoms often improve over weeks to months with a consistent, progressive strengthening and conditioning plan.³

[Diagnosis & Treatment →]

Sword's approach

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Clinical insight

Routine screening for scoliosis in adolescents is still debated. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found the evidence insufficient to recommend for or against screening asymptomatic adolescents, partly due to uncertainty about overall benefits and potential downsides like unnecessary imaging and referrals.⁸ This is why many clinicians focus on thoughtful evaluation and risk-based monitoring, rather than treating every small curve aggressively.