Basic symptoms of scoliosis will cause an unbalance between the two sides of the body. A person may have uneven shoulders and shoulder blade, and look to lean towards one side more than the other. An uneven waist and hip may also be prevalent. The spine may not only curve but rotate as well, causing the ribs to stick out on one side. In severe cases of scoliosis, more strain can be put on the internal organs, leading to a difficulty to breathe, back pain, and more pressure put on the heart.
Extreme cases of scoliosis can be easily seen, but to diagnose the issue, all that is needed is an X-ray scan to show the spine curvature. In general, there must be a minimum of a 10 degree Cobb’s angle to be labeled as scoliosis. If there is another condition that may be the cause of the scoliosis, other scans might be performed to diagnose those underlying conditions.
Additional scans include an MRI scan, CT scan or a bone scan. MRI machines make use of strong magnetic fields to scan the inside of the body. It is most ideal for detecting anomalies in the soft tissue. CT scans use x-ray radiation in a more sophisticated manner than a regular X-ray machine. CT scans are generally not as good as scanning the inner soft tissue, but it is better than the MRI when scanning the bone. They are also advantageous in that they are faster, cheaper and more readily available. Finally, a bone scan may be done. This is much more informative than a simple X-ray scan, as a bone scan can reveal a lot more about bone diseases, fractures, infections and more a person might have.
