Some experts believe that genetics play an important part in causing Scoliosis. It’s a result of the expression of multiple genes, but it has something that’s called variable penetrance, meaning that in each generation variability in how strongly the genes are expressed — specifically how severe the curve appears.

A valid question to ask is: Can it be passed on? Is it something that runs in families?

And the answer is yes; scoliosis tends to run in families. It tends to run through generations in families but to have variable effects in each generation. For instance, there can be a mother with a mild curve who has a daughter with a very severe curve, or a mother with a severe curve whose grandchildren then have scoliosis, but the intervening generation didn’t really have any significant problem.