https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists from Trinity College Dublin are assessing how the development of spinal ligaments provide mechanical stability and impact postural support in the spine—with a view to better understanding how developmental "missteps" may contribute to spinal deformations, such as the characteristic curved spines that develop in people with scoliosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-scientists-spinal-ligament-scoliosis-formation.html Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:40:20 EDT news670596015 Heavy school bags, poor posture, one-handed sports are often blamed for the development of curved spine in teens. Known as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), it affects those aged 10 to 19 but has no known cause. A team from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) has now discovered that the answer to this condition may lie in the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-adolescent-idiopathic-scoliosis-reside-brain.html Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:54:03 EDT news632505241 An interdisciplinary research team led by Professor Jason Cheung Pui-yin from the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, School of Clinical Medicine, has identified a common underlying cause of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the most common form of spinal deformity, which affects millions of adolescents worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-uncover-key-genetic-clue-adolescent.html Tue, 20 Feb 2024 13:16:04 EST news627657361 When it comes to preventing scoliosis progression, is it possible to make bracing more effective? For decades, spine specialists focused on improving the braces themselves, making them lighter, less obtrusive, and easier to put on and take off. (The Boston Brace, developed at Boston Children's Hospital in the early 1970s, is one example.) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-brace-adherence-game-scoliosis-treatment.html Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:29:55 EST news625314584 Cael was a typical 15-year-old—until the discovery of an already advanced abnormal curvature of his spine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-comprehensive-scoliosis-awareness.html Thu, 11 Jan 2024 12:28:08 EST news624198485 New research by Nemours Children's Health has found that teens who are Black, publicly insured and of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have more major complications after surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the most common type of scoliosis. In addition, patients with public insurance are much more likely to return to the Emergency Department within 90 days of surgery. The study was published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-10-black-low-income-teens-ed-major.html Thu, 26 Oct 2023 08:40:15 EDT news617528413 Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve. It often is diagnosed in children—perhaps during a growth spurt or in and around the time of puberty. However, it can be associated with other conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, infection or injuries to the spine. There are also other conditions, including congenital or neuromuscular diseases, that con contribute to a curvature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-09-scoliosis-surgery.html Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:10:02 EDT news615038122 Maybe you remember being screened for scoliosis in school. Or your own child has been treated to straighten a curving spine. But scoliosis is not restricted to children and adolescents; adults can develop scoliosis too. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-08-adults-scoliosis.html Wed, 09 Aug 2023 11:38:06 EDT news610799881 The future for a child diagnosed with scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine that typically occurs just before puberty, can feel uncertain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-child-scoliosis-symptoms-treatments.html Fri, 23 Jun 2023 13:13:03 EDT news606744781 For adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF), intraoperative liposomal bupivacaine (LB) infiltration is associated with lower total opioid consumption and shorter length of stay (LOS), according to a study published online May 1 in Spine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-intra-op-liposomal-bupivacaine-beneficial-spinal.html Fri, 12 May 2023 14:20:01 EDT news603119812 Cameras that can scan an entire body in a fraction of a second can give spinal surgeons an accurate assessment of how much range of motion youth with scoliosis have in their torso—a critical piece of information for guiding management of people with the condition, researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City have found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-3d-surface-topographic-scans-yield.html Wed, 08 Mar 2023 03:32:03 EST news597468717 A Michigan Medicine study finds that children and teens with scoliosis undergoing spinal fusion can be prescribed fewer opioids while still receiving adequate pain control after surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-children-teens-spinal-surgery-dont.html Wed, 03 Aug 2022 10:24:05 EDT news578741042 A new Michigan Medicine study finds that some children with cerebral palsy and scoliosis do not require pelvic fixation when undergoing growing rod treatment, potentially avoiding several complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-children-cerebral-palsy-scoliosis-pelvic.html Mon, 18 Apr 2022 07:11:06 EDT news569484646 Fusion surgery has been the long-standing treatment for people with scoliosis—a side-to-side curve of the spine. But other options have become available—including vertebral body tethering for children with scoliosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-vertebral-body-tethering-option-scoliosis.html Mon, 21 Feb 2022 10:54:28 EST news564663262 (HealthDay)—Combining intrathecal morphine (ITM) and oral gabapentin (GABA) improves pain management in teens undergoing spinal fusion for scoliosis, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-intrathecal-morphine-oral-gabapentin-aids.html Tue, 11 Jan 2022 12:17:45 EST news561125863 In a study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, investigators developed and validated a genetic risk score for predicting the onset and severity of the most common type of scoliosis in adolescents—called adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). AIS causes spinal deformities in as many as 3% of youth, and because its heritability is high, genetic data could help improve detection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-06-genetic-children-scoliosis.html Wed, 23 Jun 2021 03:29:10 EDT news543637747 Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve. It's frequently diagnosed in children—often during the growth spurt just before puberty. But it can happen in adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-mayo-clinic-minute-scoliosis-kids.html Mon, 10 May 2021 14:00:02 EDT news539872724 Scoliosis is the most common spinal deformity affecting pediatric patients. A posterior spinal fusion (PSF) is the gold standard treatment for patients with curves exceeding 45 degrees, but the procedure's drawbacks include the loss of spinal mobility, persistent pain and adjacent segment disc disease. However, a new retrospective study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and MU Health Care shows an alternative to PSF called vertebral body tethering (VBT) yields promising results with fewer long-term consequences for a specific group of scoliosis patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-vertebral-body-tethering-clinical-success.html Thu, 27 Aug 2020 12:26:52 EDT news517750010 A pediatric researcher has identified patterns of spinal curvature in younger children that may be likely to develop into scoliosis by adolescence. Accurately predicting scoliosis, a common, abnormal curvature of the spine, may set the stage for the first-ever methods to prevent the potentially disabling condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-11-early-spinal-patterns-scoliosis-teen.html Thu, 14 Nov 2019 03:26:49 EST news492924397 Many parents are probably thinking about their child's school attire, lunch needs and doctor visits in preparation for the upcoming school year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-08-child-safety-school-year.html Thu, 22 Aug 2019 10:22:53 EDT news485688165 Three unrelated families on three continents (from continental Portugal, the United States and Brazil), all with healthy ancestors, had children with a very rare multi-organ condition that causes early-onset retinal degeneration, sensorineural hearing loss, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and skeletal dysplasia with scoliosis and short stature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-molecular-severe-multi-organ-syndrome.html Fri, 19 Jul 2019 08:32:00 EDT news482743908 Scoliosis conditions can be detected early and monitored frequently, thanks to the portable imaging system developed by PolyU's experts in scoliosis research. The first-of-its-kind palm-sized 3-D ultrasound imaging system for radiation-free scoliosis assessment, named Scolioscan Air makes possible accurate, safe and cost-efficient mass screening. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-team-palm-sized-d-ultrasound-imaging.html Wed, 08 May 2019 08:24:17 EDT news476522648 For years, spine surgeons have debated the best methods for treating scoliosis in adults. Spinal curvature often results in more back pain, leg pain and other symptoms for adults than teens because adults also can have degeneration in the discs between vertebrae, and spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the opening for the spinal nerves. Still, there hasn't been good evidence regarding whether it's better for adults with scoliosis to have corrective surgery or whether nonoperative treatment, such as physical therapy or nerve injections, is adequate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-adult-scoliosis-surgery-treatments-viable.html Thu, 21 Feb 2019 08:00:02 EST news469957353 Robots will perform spinal surgery with greater accuracy than humanly possible as part of a ground-breaking research project led by Nottingham Trent University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-01-robots-spinal-surgery-accuracy.html Thu, 10 Jan 2019 09:04:45 EST news466333481 Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is a complex genetic disorder that affects approximately 4 per cent of children worldwide, yet its underlying biological cause remains unknown. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-immune-response-idiopathic-scoliosis-zebrafish.html Thu, 13 Dec 2018 09:02:59 EST news463914172 A standardized care pathway for children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing spinal fusion surgery reduces the need for opioid pain medications and shortens hospital stays at Children's National Health System. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-surgical-home-spinal-fusion-term.html Fri, 09 Nov 2018 12:24:12 EST news460988642 For children with severe cerebral palsy (CP), surgery for scoliosis (sideways curvature of the spine) significantly improves the quality of life (QoL) for them and their caregivers, reports a study in the April 4, 2018, issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-scoliosis-surgery-children-cerebral-palsyquality.html Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:24:19 EDT news442077849 (HealthDay)—Intravenous acetaminophen with or without ketorolac is associated with reduced opioid consumption and cost of care after scoliosis surgery in adolescents, compared with opioids alone, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in Pediatric Anesthesia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-opioids-acetaminophen-ketorolac-cost-effective-post-sx.html Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:01:34 EST news437925682 For teens with scoliosis, a new study shows specialized physical therapy exercises can improve the curve of the spine, muscle endurance and quality of life, as researchers advocate for conservative management to be added to the standard of care for patients in Canada. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-specialized-physical-therapy-teens-scoliosis.html Wed, 25 Jan 2017 13:22:38 EST news404572954 Hokkaido University researchers have developed a symmetry-recognition system for the surface of the human back that can three-dimensionally detect the early stages of idiopathic scoliosis, a type of spinal deformity, without the help of a specialist doctor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-spinal-deformity.html Mon, 21 Nov 2016 07:45:16 EST news398936703