What a washed up whale can teach us about scoliosis
UMC Utrecht has been working for years to find out the cause of scoliosis: a 3d curvature of the spine. The theory developed in Utrecht about the origin of this condition has recently been illustrated in a collaboration between the UU (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) and the UMC Utrecht based of the scoliosis observed in a washed up whale. In short, scoliosis is a compensatory response in the spine to a spinal injury in another location. The researchers were able to clearly observe this "compensatory curve" in the washed up whale. While the whale was injured by a collision, human scoliosis often arises "naturally" as a result of our unique body posture.
The article has been published on the open access journal Scientific reports, available .