Question
Hi, I recently had a chest xray and it revealed that I have a mild dextroscoliosis of the lower thoracic spine.  I am female and 24 years of age.  I do not know the degree of the curvature because the chest xray was done for something else.  I was wondering if this is a serious condition that I should look into for preventative measures before it gets worse when I get older.  Should I be concern about this situation now? Can I do anything now?  Thanks!

Answer
Dear Thuy,

Two main factors determine the seriousness of a scoliosis.  First is the age of the person with the condition and second is the amount of degree of the curvature.  Age is important since a growing spine will continues to have a greater degree of scoliotic curvature.  However, in your case at age 24, mostly likely your spine has stopped growing.  Whatever the degree of curvature you have will remain so unchanged.  Second is the degree of curvature.  If the curvature of the scoliosis is great enough to interfere with the organs' function such as the heart, lung, liver or spleen then it need to be surgically corrected.  

In your case, it seems to be not of a serious nature and will not change.  The "mild" degree indicate a minute amount of curvature and since it was detected on an X-ray, then it indicated that it is a negligible scoliosis in your body function.  

What you can do to alleviate any pain or discomfort associate with the condition is to have regular maintenance visit with a chiropractor and/or acupuncturist who can manage the pain if any and monitor the condition.  

I hope your concerns have been answered.