Because June is scoliosis awareness month Nebraska Spine Hospital is working to share basic facts about scoliosis. According to the National Scoliosis Foundation at www.scoliosis.org, scoliosis affects 2-3% of the population, or an estimated 6 million people in the United States, and there is no cure.

Scoliosis impacts infants, adolescents, and adults worldwide with little regard to race or socio-economic status. The primary age of onset for scoliosis is 10-15 years old, occurring equally among both genders. However, females are eight times more likely to progress to a curve magnitude that requires treatment. Scoliosis can impact the quality of life with limited activity, pain, reduced 
respiratory function, or diminished self-esteem.

The vast majority of people with this condition are not expected to require treatment. The problem is we do not know who will get scoliosis, why they get it, and who will progress, or how far they will progress. Each year scoliosis 
patients make more than 600,000 visits to private physician offices, and an estimated 30,000 children are put into a brace for scoliosis, while 38,000 
patients undergo spinal fusion surgery.

To learn more about scoliosis please visit the National Scoliosis Foundation at www.scoliosis.org.