Scoliosis Treatment

The majority of cases of scoliosis do not require treatment.

• If the curve is less than 25°, no treatment is required, and the child can be reexamined every four to six months.
  
  
• If the curve is more then 25° but less than 30°, a back brace may be used for treatment.
  
  
• Curves more than 45° will need to be evaluated for the possibility of surgical correction. Surgical correction involves fusing vertebrae together to correct the curvature and may require inserting rods next to the spine to reinforce the surgery.
  
  
• Treatment options depend more on how likely it is that the curve will worsen than on the angle of the curve itself. A child with a 20° curve and four more years of growth may require treatment while a child with 29° of curvature who has stopped growing may not require treatment.