ABSTRACT
Leg length discrepancy is the most common cause of a functional scoliosis with a tilted pelvis, present only when the patient stands. Pain arising from the hip may mimic pain from the spine and vice versa. The spine is considered in two sections: the cervical spine and the thoraco-lumbar-sacral spine. The cervical spine is the region most commonly affected by this chronic, systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and destruction of the synovial joints. View the whole spine from behind, looking for scars, any cutaneous stigmata of underlying spinal dysraphism such as a hairy naevus, a sinus or a sacral dimple indicating any underlying spinal dysraphism, e.g. spina bifida. Degenerative changes within the lumbar spine lead to narrowing of the spinal canal, termed spinal stenosis. Functional scoliosis may also occur when there is a painful lesion within the spine, such as an acute prolapsed intervertebral disc or osteoid osteoma that causes the spine to be held at an angle.
