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What role do environmental factors play in scoliosis?

 

Scoliosis is a complex condition that involves both genetic and environmental factors.  The more a patient is genetically pre-disposed to developing the condition the less environmental factors they will need to incur to before developing scoliosis.  Of course the opposite is true as well.  A patient with a low pre-disposal for genetic factors for scoliosis, but high environmental factors galore may also have the same overall risk of developing the condition and the genetically high risk patient.

 

We can't change our genes (yet), so we are left with only having the ability to reduce/eliminate the environmental factors that (when combined with genetic factors) cause Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS).

 

So how much affect do environmental factors have on scoliosis?  Well, let's look at it from this perspective.

 

Approximately 4% of all scoliosis cases chose to have the spinal fusion surgical procedure (and that doesn't include the patients who refuse the procedure) and the Scoliscore genetic test predicts that only 1% of patients should have the genetic pre-disposition to develop a curvature that would reach surgical level.

 

The conclusion:  At least 3% of the 4% of AIS cases going to spinal fusion surgery are due to environmental factors driving the condition, not just genetic pre-disposition.