Mon – Fri 9am to 5pm

Monday – Friday     9am to 5pm

Scottish Patient Information

The Paediatric and Young Adult Spinal Deformity (Scoliosis) service is funded by National Services Division (NSD). NSD is a division within NHS Scotland. NSD receives separate funding from the Scottish Government to commission and manage certain specialist services.

Whether you are able to see a specialist in Scotland depends on your skeletal maturity (in simpler terms, whether or not you are still growing). Patients who have finished their growth are considered on a case-by-case basis. However, patients with de novo scoliosis are not eligible to be seen in the service. Otherwise, patients will need to be referred before they have finished growing.

Skeletally immature patients (patients who are not yet fully grown) with the following conditions will be considered by the national service:

  • Congenital scoliosis
  • Idiopathic scoliosis (infantile, juvenile and adolescent)
  • Neuromuscular conditions including: neuromuscular disorders and neurological conditions with neuromuscular impairment. Patients with neuromuscular conditions who are at risk of developing a spinal curve should be monitored locally to stop so that curves do no grow too large before they are treated. They should be referred before they finish growing.
  • Syndromic conditions: Neurofibromatosis – Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon and Consultant Neurosurgeon, Marfan’s syndrome
  • Severe Scheuermann’s kyphosis, Spondylolisthesis, Spondiolysis, Post-irradiation skeletal changes

The following skeletally mature (fully grown) patients will be considered by the service on a case-by-case basis:

  • Skeletally mature patients with Adolescent Scoliosis of the Adult with a spinal curvature over 50°, i.e. late onset or missed idiopathic adolescent scoliosis
  • Congenital spinal deformity
  • Severe Scheuermann’s kyphosis
  • High grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis
  • Kyphosis due to Ankylosing Spondylitis


Out of scope of national service:

  • Skeletally mature patients with degenerative spine disease / de novo scoliosis
  • Spinal tumour
  • Spinal infection
  • Juvenile disc herniation

Adult patients with neuromuscular scoliosis or a worsening curve who were not treated while they were growing but would benefit from surgery and have the support of their referrer and home NHS Board can be considered.

Adult patients with neuromuscular conditions who have severe rigid curves do not benefit from scoliosis correction and are not eligible for surgery.

Find out more via the NSD website.

Service contact:

Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh
9 Sciennes Road
Edinburgh
EH9 1LF

If you would like to talk further about any aspect of scoliosis, we’re here to help.

Call our helpline or contact us via post at:
Ground Floor
329 Latimer Road
London
W10 6RA 

or email: info@ssr.org.uk.