Scoliosis – mild, moderate, or severe?

Diagnosing different curves

Maybe you’ve been told you have a “mild curve”, but it isn’t scoliosis. How does that happen? Or maybe you’ve been told you have scoliosis, but treatment isn’t recommended yet. What is the reasoning behind that? Today we’ll explore how scoliosis is defined and when treatment is prescribed.

Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. This means that when you’re looking at someone from behind, the spine curves left or right rather than staying straight from the base of the skull to the tailbone. However, all curves are not created equal! A curve is only considered scoliosis if it is larger than 10 degrees. That is how you can have a mild curve without it being considered scoliosis.

Even once a curve is defined as scoliosis, there might be different treatments proposed based on the severity of the curve. Generally, there are 3 categories of severity for scoliosis: mild (11-25 degrees), moderate (26-49 degrees), and severe (50 degrees).

When someone has a mild curve, medical professionals may suggest careful monitoring and some physical therapy. That is because mild curves aren’t associated with negative health outcomes like pain or disability. If they stay mild, they usually aren’t a problem. For moderate curves, a combination of bracing and physical therapy is most often recommended. That is because moderate curves have a higher chance of becoming severe curves. Intervention like a brace or physical therapy is prescribed to prevent the curve from getting worse. As for severe curves, the most common treatment is surgery. That is because severe curves are more associated with pain or medical issues. Intervention helps improve quality of life.

Of course, factors like a patient’s desires, lifestyle, activity, age and symptoms can change the treatment plan from the common guidelines. No matter the curve there are always treatment options available. If you have more questions about yours or a loved one’s spine health, talk to an MD or physical therapist who specializes in scoliosis!