Monthly Archives: November 2014

What Makes Scoliosis get Worse?

Scoliosis is a genetic syndrome with a hallmark deformity of the spine, but it’s more than that. One way we identify genetic diseases is to study twin populations. Identical twins have the exact same genome, therefore genetic disease would be shared between the siblings, and that’s exactly what we see in scoliosis. However, these studies also show the severity of the disesse is variable, Twin studies have shown there is no question genetics play a role in developing the conditions, but differences in the direction and severity indicate there is more to it than just genetics. So what makes scoliosis […]

Should my child participate in Sports if they have scoliosis?

I recently interviewed a new patient and her family to find out her parents were encouraging her to join sports because she had recently been diagnosed with scoliosis. This is not uncommon in my practice, nor is the exact opposite, parents and doctors recommending no sports when curvatures become progressive. So which is it? Should children with scoliosis participate in sport or not? The first question that should come to mind is, what makes scoliosis curvatures progress?  This is very important to understand; genetics cause the disease, and the environment is responsible for its progression. For our purposes, the “environment” […]

Hypothalamic Amenorrhea in Scoliosis

What is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and how does it affect Scoliosis? Studies confirm prolonged onset of the menstrual cycle is a risk factor for scoliosis progression. Termed Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, abnormal menses or lack menses can be caused by a lack of adequate body fat. This may be due to genetic predisposition, or due to either excessive exercise or low caloric intake. It’s important to understand why this happens. To put it simply, if the brain (hypothalamus) does not detect enough fat storage (Leptin signaling), it won’t waste energy on preparing the body for pregnancy.  This can prolong the pubertal growth making […]