Let’s chat about spinal problems and if they can be genetic.
Now this is a HUGE topic and I will try to break it down quickly. BUT in short, the answer is YES, some spinal conditions can be hereditary.
This means that if you have a spinal condition, tell your family to get checked or If someone in your family has a spinal condition then I recommend coming in and getting a check because you might want to prevent it getting worse
In my 22 years of practice I have seen a lot of families come in and its interesting to see their spines next to each other and quite often they are similar. I guess you can say that if you look the same on the outside there’s a good chance you will look the same on the inside.
In 2009, the Twin Spine Study was implemented in the U.S., Canada, and Finland to determine whether there was a link between genetics and lumbar disc degeneration. It discovered that yes, genetics does in fact have an effect on disc degeneration.
- Battié MC, Videman T, Kaprio J, Gibbons LE, Gill K, Manninen H et al. The Twin Spine Study: contributions to a changing view of disc degeneration [abstract]. Spine 2009;9(1):47-59. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2008.11.011.
There is also strong evidence that scoliosis can run in families as well.
Genetics often trigger the condition but do not drive it. So it is important to know as much as possible about the scoliosis because if you or a family member have it, and if treated correctly early enough… it is possible to prevent it getting worse or potentially improve it.
This is really important as some people have been told that you cant improved it… and that is just not true.
You know Nearly 1/3 of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have a family history of the condition.
29% of the daughters get it and 9% of sons are likely to develop scoliosis if their parents have it. suggesting specific genomic variant groups (e.g. COMT variants) involving estrogen may be heavily involved with the production, metabolism, and breakdown of estrogen.
Reference https://www.treatingscoliosis.com/scoliosis-causes/
If you want more info on this, we have a great fact sheet we give to our patients … just connect with us and we will happily share it with you.
In our practice we have also noticed that habits get passed along within families. Have you Noticed that when you do something your children mimic your actions? That works the same way when they mimic your posture, standing or sleeping habits. If you sleep on your stomach, your child might do the same. Or the way you sit on the couch.
When you see your children on technology, if you don’t know what good posture is, how will they, so you don’t correct them and this leads to spinal problems down the track.
Now there is sooooo much more to this and I welcome questions or better still if you have a spinal condition in your family… come in and get checked… I mean you get your teeth checked and you can replace them… but you can’t replace your spine