A method for diagnosing an increased risk for developing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in a human subject, comprising detecting the presence or absence of at least one impairment in melatonin-signaling pathway in a cell sample of the subject in the presence and in the absence of a known melatonin-signaling pathway agonist, wherein the cell sample is selected from the group consisting of blood cell sample, osteoblast cell sample, osteoclast cell sample and myoblast cell sample, and wherein the presence of the at least one impairment in the melatonin-signaling pathway indicates that the subject possesses an increased risk for developing AIS.
METHOD OF DIAGNOSING ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS