scoliosis

Term: scoliosis

Literally meaning:

Origin: Anc Greek

σκολίωσις/sκoliosis (=scoliosis)

>(noun) scolios/skolios(=bent, twisted or curved)

+>-ωσις/osis(=osis, suffix meaning a medical condition)

Coined/History

The ancient Greek phycisian Galen of Pergamon (130–200 AD) described four types of spinal deformities, namely kyphosis when they spinal column moves backward, lordosis when it moves forward, scoliosis when it moves to the side and succussion, where there is no spinal deformity but the intervertebral articulations still have moved. He comments that Hippocrates used the term scoliosis to describe all spinal deformities.

Definition

Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine.