ABSTRACT
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) usually first appears around the time of puberty and occurs in individuals who are otherwise perfectly healthy. Much progress has been made in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of scoliosis over the last several decades. Only approximately 1 in 10 school children who are screened as positive for a spinal deformity actually need treatment. Non-operative treatment of AIS has as its goal arresting or lessening lateral spinal curvature associated with AIS. Because many milder curvatures spontaneously stabilize or improve without treatment, it is crucial to document progression in milder curvatures before treatment. More public awareness that scoliosis occurs in otherwise healthy individuals and is not a disease of the severely deformed or crippled will remove some of the social stigma involved with scoliosis brace wearing. Scoliosis centers in which a team approach is used seem to be better accepted by adolescents and peer support groups are sometimes useful in easing the psychological discomfort.
