June 09, 2023
June is Scoliosis Awareness Month 
“We meet families that are not aware of scoliosis and are upset when their child develops a large curvature. They are relieved when they learn this is a treatable condition a lot of people around the world have,” Munish Gupta, MD, MBA, explains. “We educate families that children still thrive with this condition, in some cases with surgery and in some cases without. A minority of patients that develop scoliosis in young adulthood need surgery. Even elderly patients with scoliosis can seek treatment, they don’t have to continue suffering.”
Case Study: Scoliosis in Siblings
Scoliosis most often develops in late childhood and early teenage years because of the association between growth and progressive scoliosis curves; the more the child grows, the more their spine curvature grows. This was the case for two of Dr. Gupta’s adolescent patients.
A primary care doctor noticed slight curvatures at the siblings’ routine checkups. They were both diagnosed with scoliosis with curvatures at 19 degrees and 16 degrees. They began wearing braces – a common treatment for scoliosis patients who are still growing – in an attempt to slow down or stop the scoliosis progression during the remainder of the child’s skeletal growth.
As the patient’s grew, their conditions worsened. Their spinal curvatures had progressed from 19 degrees to 62 degrees and from 16 degrees to 42 degrees. It was time for correction surgery with Dr. Gupta, who specializes in adult and pediatric complex spine surgical cases.
“It is remarkable that they both have scoliosis. Their curvatures were different, one more severe than the other, but their progression tells us that there are enough genes making the condition worse in both children,” Dr. Gupta shared. In children who develop scoliosis, the genetic aspects are probably the most influential. Multiple genetic studies have confirmed strong family relations, including studies of identical twins. The genetic factors are strong, highly-complex multi-gene interactions that are still being actively studied.
World-Renowned Spine Surgeon
Dr. Gupta has dedicated his career to the care of spine patients and advancement of the field. He is serving his second term on the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) Board of Directors and continues to travel around the world to educate spine surgeons on best practices and facilitate hands-on lab workshops.
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