Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Guide for Families

← ◾Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine that appears in the teenage years, with no single known cause. Most curves are mild and need nothing more than regular check-ups. A smaller number need a brace, and only a few need surgery, which most teenagers recover from well.

Reviewed by Dr. Kshitij Chaudhary, Last reviewed October 2026

This guide answers the questions families ask most often. Newly diagnosed? Start with About Scoliosis. Already deciding on treatment? Go to Observation and Other Treatments. Or go straight to the page you need.

What it is, what causes it, how common it is and what to look for.

How scoliosis is diagnosed and measured, and how we judge whether it will get worse.

Watching a curve, how treatment is chosen, and what does and doesn't help.

Which braces we use, how well they work and how to cope with wearing one.

When surgery is considered, why we don't wait for pain, and how to choose a surgeon and hospital.

The operations we offer, how your child is protected, the risks and the day of surgery.

The hospital stay, getting back to school and sport, and life in the long run.

Brothers and sisters, blame, questions to ask your doctor and the words you may hear.

Treatments we offer for this

Observation and regular follow-up, bracing (custom TLSO or Boston brace), physiotherapy, scoliosis correction surgery (posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation) and vertebral body tethering in selected children.

This page is for general information and does not replace a medical consultation. Please see a doctor for advice about your own symptoms.

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About Dr. Kshitij Chaudhary

This page was written by Dr. Kshitij Chaudhary, a fellowship-trained spine surgeon at P.D. Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, trained in complex spine surgery at Harvard Medical School (Beth Israel Deaconess) and the Twin Cities Spine Center, Minneapolis. 🏃🏾About Dr. Chaudhary