Scoliosis is a complex spine condition that we treat

here at UAMS. As spine surgeons we see

these patients from childhood onto

the adult stages of the condition. It really is,

it refers to a deformity on the spine.

One of the most common types of scoliosis

is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. This

most frequently happens in females

in the teenage years and as they grow

the condition can either be arrested or

it can progress, and become severe. One of the most common presentations of

scoliosis is pain but

also it is deformity. It's it's the cosmetic aspect of their

deformity.

Treatment involves often monitoring and understanding

the degree of the deformity and observing it over time,

and deciding whether it is stable

or perhaps even improved, or it is

becoming progressive and needs surgical treatment If that is appropriate.

When we decide to operate on these patients

we take into account the degree of the deformity and the

correction that we can achieve.

So in that population

it is a particular type of treatment

that we administer to these patients depending on

the severity and the type of scoliosis they have.

Some of the patience that we see have neuromuscular conditions

and their scoliosis results as their inability

for their muscles to correct their spine and so

their deformities are often very severe; and we correct that through surgery.

I also see scoliosis or imbalance

of the spine in the adult population

and that can be either from patients who had scoliosis

as teenagers or adolescence who did not have treatment for it, but

progressed slowly into the adult years. And overtime

our spine undergoes degeneration in all of us.

Our muscles become weaker, often we gain weight,

and that puts undue pressure on the spine.

We tend to lose height as we age as well and that is as a result of these

conditions. And this can

not only worsen the deformity of scoliosis, but it can also

result in nerve compression which leads to pain.

So I treat patients such as adults who have this deformity

and their deformity you can imagine as a little bit more fixed.

And so we need other ways of treating

their spinal and balance to bring it back into balance and to alleviate their

pain.

So there's a range of different causes behind scoliosis in different age groups

and as spine surgeons I think our role

is in being knowledgeable and judicious in understanding which patient

deserves which kind of treatment, so

targeting our treatment. And then once we have a treatment plan,

executing it to the best of our ability, with all the resources that we have here

at a large academic tertiary referral center.