Meaning & use
scoliosis
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A condition in which the spine curves sideways instead of being straight.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: doctors diagnose scoliosis, not 'a scoliosis'.
Patterns
- have scoliosis
- develop scoliosis
- be diagnosed with scoliosis
- scoliosis of the spine
Her doctor noticed she had mild scoliosis during a routine check-up.
Scoliosis often first appears in children just before they become teenagers.
In severe cases of scoliosis, surgery may be needed to straighten the spine.
Common combinations
- mild scoliosis
- His mild scoliosis causes no pain and needs only regular check-ups.
- severe scoliosis
- Severe scoliosis can press on the lungs and make breathing harder.
- develop scoliosis
- Some children develop scoliosis during a growth spurt.
- be diagnosed with scoliosis
- She was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of twelve.
- corrective surgery for scoliosis
- Corrective surgery for scoliosis usually involves metal rods.
Synonyms and how they differ
- curvature of the spine
- A plain descriptive phrase rather than the medical term; it can describe any bend, not only the condition doctors call scoliosis.
Word family
- scoliotic adjective
- Relating to or affected by scoliosis, as in 'a scoliotic curve'.
Commonly confused: scoliosis or lordosis? scoliosis or kyphosis?
scoliosis vs lordosis
Lordosis is an inward curve of the lower back, while scoliosis is a sideways curve; both are spinal conditions but the direction differs.
scoliosis vs kyphosis
Kyphosis is an excessive forward rounding of the upper back, not a sideways bend, so it is a different spinal deformity.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'scoliosis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Scoliosis' is an uncountable medical noun for a spinal curve, so it takes no article and no plural; only 'diagnosed with scoliosis' fits. 'A scoliosis' and 'scolioses' wrongly treat it as countable, and the leg option describes the wrong body part.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scoliosis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.