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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffThe cause of most scoliosis is unknown (idiopathic). Scoliosis is often first noticed around the time of adolescence, during a growth spurt. Growth is often the cause for worsening of an existing curve.
Other than growth, risk factors that make it more likely that a scoliosis curve will get worse include:
- Sex. Curves in girls are more likely to worsen than are curves in boys.
- Age. The younger the child when scoliosis appears, the greater the chance the curve will worsen.
- Size of the curve. The greater the curve size, the higher the likelihood that it will worsen.
- Location. Curves in the middle to lower spine are less likely to progress than are those in the upper spine.
- Spinal problems at birth. Children who are born with scoliosis (congenital scoliosis) have a greater risk of worsening of the curve. Congenital scoliosis is thought of as a birth defect affecting the size and shape of the bones of the spine.
