Adult Scoliosis

Adult scoliosis, or spinal deformity, refers to abnormal curvatures of the spine in people who have completed growth to adulthood. Many adults develop scoliosis later in life as a result of arthritis in the small joints in the spine.

Some people with scoliosis complain of back pain alone or leg pain alone as a result of a now-unstable and maligned “foundation” holding up the body. It is not unusual for people who are well into their 60s, 70s or 80s to have symptoms of pain and walking limitations that interfere with their quality of life and keep them from the activities they enjoy most.

Unlike younger patients who were diagnosed with scoliosis in adolescence, the older adult faces a completely different set of problems and challenges. In addition, people with scoliosis not diagnosed at adolescence can be asymptomatic until the degenerative process starts to affect an abnormally aligned spine resulting in pain.

Dr. Waguespack is one of the only specialists in the Greater New Orleans area with expertise in treating adult scoliosis using a state-of-the-art technique where screws are anchored to the spine and to long rods.