Causes
Although the exact cause of scoliosis is unknown, genetics is believed to play a role as it often runs in families. When scoliosis develops later in childhood, there's usually no cause found in over 80% of cases - the rest can be due to conditions such as polio, cerebral palsy, juvenile osteoporosis, or other disease. This condition is also associated with poor posture; in fact, scoliosis is the cause of poor posture in many cases.
Adults may develop functional scoliosis in the presence of severe muscle spasm caused by muscle strain, other injury, or degeneration of the spine. In the case of muscle spasms or strain, scoliosis resolves with treatment of the underlying problem.