Mr. A.S. is a 15-year-old boy who was diagnosed with adolescent scoliosis. He’s very active and plays for his high school basketball team. His scoliosis is a right convex C-curve, with significant spinal rotation to the left concave scoliosis curvature.

When diagnosing scoliosis, it’s important to understand the root cause of the condition. Doctors need to examine all the physical structures of the spine, skull, vertebrae, pelvis, lower extremities, and other structures like bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues. Neurological tests are also necessary to determine the root cause of scoliosis. These tests combined with X-rays can help the specialist understand where the root cause of the scoliosis is.

In Mr. A.S.’s case, his scoliosis caused left spinal ligaments and left tendon stiffness, which resulted in a difference in length between the left and right sides of his body. The soft tissues on the left side of his concavity were also shorter compared to the right side. His left-side scoliosis concavity muscle function was decreased compared to the right side of his body, and there was evidence of subconscious imbalance of nerves and muscles.

X-rays showed that his pelvis was imbalanced, with the left side higher than the right side. The scoliosis condition in the thoraco-lumbar area is likely the main reason why the pelvis is uneven, rather than the other way around. In other words, the pelvic imbalance did not cause the scoliosis.

Mr. A.S. underwent a 2-week scoliosis intensive care treatment, which successfully reduced his scoliosis Cobb angle from 42 degrees to 26 degrees. There was significant spinal de-rotation of the concavity left side of his scoliosis, which moved toward the center of his spine in the thoraco-lumbar area. A custom hard brace was prescribed because he’s still growing and spends prolonged periods sitting in his classes.