Can a Car Accident Cause Scoliosis? Key Insights

Scoliosis is a complex spinal condition that requires a customized treatment approach. Not only does scoliosis range widely in severity from mild to very severe, there are a number of causes and types that can develop.

There are different types of scoliosis, and while the most common types include idiopathic scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis, and degenerative scoliosis, traumatic scoliosis can occur following a car accident that structurally damages the spine. Spinal trauma/injury can disrupt the spine’s alignment and stability.

A car accident can lead to a traumatic scoliosis diagnosis, and the type of car accident can shape the level of spinal trauma.

What is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a highly-prevalent spinal condition that affects all ages; it causes the spine to develop an unnatural sideways curvature that also rotates (twists).

As a progressive spinal condition, the nature of scoliosis is to get worse over time, and this means the unnatural spinal curve is getting larger, causing increasing spinal rigidity and symptoms that make it more complex to treat.

There are no treatment guarantees, but because growth is the main trigger for progression, early detection and intervention are crucial for successful childhood scoliosis treatment.

A growing spine can be manipulated more easily, so nonsurgical treatment has more potential to significantly improve the spine’s position and alignment when cases are diagnosed and treated early.

Car Accidents and Scoliosis

A scoliotic spine doesn’t have its healthy curves in place, making it weaker and more vulnerable to injury, less flexible, and less able to handle shock absorption.

So for people already diagnosed with scoliosis, a car accident that injures the spine or involves a compressive force such as being rear ended, can further weaken the spine and increase curve progression.

People who are in a serious car accident involving spinal trauma, with no pre-existing scoliosis, can develop traumatic scoliosis as a related complication.

Traumatic Scoliosis

Scoliosis causes the spine to become misaligned and off-balance, and this makes it less stable and can impact a person’s posture, movement, and balance.

Car accidents are a leading cause of spinal injury, many involving damage to the spinal cord following quick jarring motion.

One of the spine’s primary roles is protecting the spinal cord containing the 31 pairs of spinal nerves that work with the brain to form the body’s central nervous system.

Nerve damage can cause dysfunction, pain, and mobility issues.

If a car is driving fast and slows down or comes to a complete stop suddenly, it can also strain supportive ligaments, muscles, discs, and the vertebrae (bones of the spine).

The spine needs support from strong surrounding muscles and ligaments, so if they are injured, this can cause a lack of support for the spine and contribute to a loss of healthy curves and alignment.

Spinal injuries can cause pain and mobility issues, and if traumatic scoliosis is an effect, it needs to be proactively addressed.

Car accidents can cause spinal misalignments that lead to scoliosis, and in some cases, symptoms of spinal trauma don’t appear immediately following an accident; it’s important to be fully examined by a medical professional regardless of whether immediate symptoms are present or not.

Types of Car Accidents and Scoliosis

Not all car accidents involve spinal injuries, but the more serious the accident, the more potential there is for structural damage to the spine to cause lasting effects.

Three main types of car accidents include rollovers, rear-end collisions, and high-speed collisions, and each are associated with specific types of spinal injuries.

Rollovers are associated with multiple vertebral dislocations and thoracic scoliosis. The thoracic spine is the largest spinal section and is the most commonly affected by scoliosis.

Rear-end collisions cause a jarring backward force and commonly involve whiplash that can lead to cervical scoliosis. The cervical spine refers to the neck, and the neck needs to be strong to support the weight of the head. Whiplash can strain the muscles and ligaments needed to support the spine.

High-speed collisions can cause spinal fractures and lumbar scoliosis. The lumbar spine refers to the lower back, and the vertebrae of the lumbar spine have to be strong and healthy to support the weight of the spinal sections above and support strenuous movement without straining the spine.

The force of impact from a car accident has the potential to cause scoliosis through trauma and structural damage to the spine.

Traumatic scoliosis represents a small percentage of overall cases. Although car accidents can cause the occurrence of traumatic scoliosis, there are more common causes and prevalent types of scoliosis.

Additional Scoliosis Causes

The most prevalent type of scoliosis to affect all age groups is idiopathic scoliosis. Idiopathic scoliosis has no single-known cause and accounts for approximately 80 percent of diagnosed cases.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type and is diagnosed at the onset of puberty in females and a little later in males.

Adolescents are also the most at risk for quick progression due to the rapid growth spurts that occur during puberty.

Idiopathic scoliosis is also the most common type to affect adults, followed by degenerative scoliosis that’s caused by age-related spinal degeneration.

Neuromuscular scoliosis is a complex type that’s caused by the presence of a neurological or muscular disorder, and the scoliosis develops due to a disruption in communication between the brain, the spine, and the spine’s surrounding supportive muscles and ligaments.

Common symptoms of scoliosis involve postural changes, disruptions to balance, coordination, gait, and pain, and scoliosis that’s left untreated can develop complications due to continued progression.

Traumatic scoliosis accounts for less than 20 percent of known cases, but can occur, so awareness is warranted.

Conclusion

Car accidents can cause scoliosis through structural damage to the spine due to jarring impact and injury such as vertebral dislocations and fractures.

In cases of pre-existing scoliosis, car accidents can cause accelerated curve progression.

Although traumatic scoliosis isn’t common, the more severe a car accident, the more potential there is for spinal injury and lasting effects.

Scoliosis causes the spine’s misalignment through a loss of its healthy curves, and as a progressive condition, increasing instability can develop if left untreated.

Regardless of the cause, scoliosis treatment that’s started immediately following a diagnosis has a better chance of success.

Car accidents aren’t a common cause of scoliosis but traumatic injury to the spine can cause enough structural damage to compromise the spine’s healthy alignment, stability, and balance.