[Idiopathic scoliosis. Definition--pathology--classification--etiology].

Scoliosis is a symptom, it is not a disease. Mechanically, scoliosis is a torsion of the basic elements of the spine developed according to an helicoidal axis. Scoliosis is called idiopathic when no inductive disorder like paralysis, congenital malformation, or metabolic disease, have been established. Idiopathic scoliosis arises during infancy or childhood and gives spontaneously as big deformity as earlier started. The thoracic location gives not only a rib hump, but also respiratory impairment when a severe deformity is obtained. Lumbar location gives mainly imbalance and pain. Etiology is still unknown, but recent research lead to a neuromuscular disorder in relation with the neuro-transmitter involved with the bipedal condition with very often a genetic input. With time degenerative lesions of the discal and ligaments components increase the deformity established during childhood and adolescence, but also these degenerative disorders can create scoliosis deformity only in adulthood arising on normally aligned spines.