June is scoliosis awareness month, so to help raise awareness, I thought I’d write a post with some interesting facts about scoliosis.

10 facts about scoliosis that may surprise you

1. Scoliosis is more common than you think! It is estimated that scoliosis affects 200 million people worldwide. So if you have scoliosis, you are most certainly not alone.
2. Around eight in 10 people who have scoliosis have idiopathic scoliosis, which has no known cause. This type of scoliosis most commonly develops during the adolescent growth spurt (between the ages of 10-15). Scoliosis is not caused by accidents or from carrying heavy bags, both are common myths.
3. Most cases of scoliosis are mild and do not require surgical intervention.
4. Scoliosis is more common in girls than boys. Adolescent girls may be up to 10 times more likely to develop scoliosis than boys.
5. You can still exercise if you have scoliosis (both before and after scoliosis surgery). In fact, exercise is encouraged as it can help with strengthening the core and back muscles and reducing pain.
6. Scoliosis can sometimes be hereditary.
7. Animals can have scoliosis! Scoliosis has been found in fish, cats and dogs amongst others.
8. Having scoliosis does not mean that you won’t be able to have children – pre or post scoliosis surgery. This is a common myth but in most cases women with scoliosis will have no problems with pregnancy or labour.
9. There are many celebrities with scoliosis, including Olympic athlete Usain Bolt.
10. Severe scoliosis can affect a person’s appearance due to the twisting and curving of the spine and ribs. This can cause leaning to one side, uneven shoulder blades, one shoulder or hip sticking out, the ribs protruding on one side or the ribs forming a lump on the back.

To find out more about scoliosis, check out my page – what is scoliosis? and please do share this post or the infographic below and help me to raise awareness of scoliosis! Have you got any interesting facts about scoliosis? Feel free to comment below 🙂 Enjoyed this post? Please follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest! Be sure to also subscribe to my YouTube channel! Louise X

References:

https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/directory/s/scoliosis http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scoliosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx http://www.sauk.org.uk/downloads/scoliosis-knowthefacts.pdf http://www.scoliosissos.com/news/post/10-interesting-facts-about-scoliosis https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_scoliosis.asp