Since the vast majority of scoliosis sufferers are diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 15, it’s easy to assume that this condition doesn’t really affect people either side of that age bracket. Certainly, if you’ve glanced at our Patient Experiences page, you may be under the impression that everyone we treat is either a teenager or an adult who was diagnosed with scoliosis as a teenager but didn’t do anything about it at the time.
But the truth is that scoliosis doesn’t always develop within that 5-year window. The condition often makes itself known during adolescence because this is when you go through growth spurts, periods of rapid growth during which the spine becomes more prone to curvature. However, some children do develop scoliosis years prior to hitting puberty (this is known as ‘juvenile scoliosis’ – see
Treating Scoliosis in Young Children), and many older people who previously had perfectly healthy spines develop scoliosis later in life due to factors such as osteoporosis and the natural ageing and weakening of the human body over time.
So the answer to the question, ‘Can you get scoliosis at any age?’ is ‘Yes – it’s most likely to develop during adolescence, but there is ample evidence that the condition can develop earlier or later in life.’
This brings us to question #2…
What treatments are available for scoliosis sufferers?
Scoliosis can be treated in a number of different ways. Spinal fusion surgery is often utilised as a means of correcting the spinal curve, but this is a risky, invasive procedure that many patients would rather avoid. Surgery may be a particularly undesirable course of action if the patient is very young or very old.
Thankfully, there are alternatives. Here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, we treat scoliosis sufferers using a combination of non-surgical techniques that we collectively refer to as the ScolioGold method – this is an exercise-based regime that helps patients to overcome the symptoms of their spinal curvature and improves their quality of life immeasurably.
Contact us now to arrange an initial consultation at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, or click one of the links below to see the results we’ve helped patients of different ages to achieve.
