Congenital deformities of the spine are conditions that are present at birth and carried throughout life. A common form of congenital deformity is scoliosis of the spine. Scoliosis involves asymmetry of the muscles along the spine that pull and twist the spine in an unusual direction. The condition can range from a slight deformity that requires little more than observation, to severe deformity that may require a complex surgery that includes operative procedures with large metal rods and fixation devices that hold the rods in place, straightening of the spine, and maintaining the spine in a position that is less compromising to the spinal cord.

Another congenital entity that can affect the spine is spondylolisthesis. Patients with this condition are born with a weakened area of the bone in the spine that allows the bone to slip forward. This is similar to the degenerative process called spondylolisthesis, but different in that there is actually a missing link of bone. With age and time, or sometimes with acute fractures and trauma, one bone can slip forward on the other one.