Signs of Scoliosis
This may date me a bit, but I remember back in middle school having mandatory scoliosis screenings done at school. A nurse would come to school during our gym period and we would all line up and be checked for scoliosis. Now I had no idea what scoliosis was when I was in middle school but it sounded scary and I always crossed my fingers that I wouldn't be one of those girls who had it. Now looking back I realize just how uneducated parents and children were on scoliosis. If we "passed" the scoliosis test we were sent on our way, no explanation what so ever. Today I'm not even sure if kids are screened at school anymore for it (my kiddo has not yet reached school age) and if they are I'm hoping that it is done way before middle school.
What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis, well not as scary as it sounds, can cause issues in growing kids. Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. Most of the time a scoliosis will start to develop in the first 10 years of a child's life, when the most dramatic amount of growth occurs in the spine. These scoliotic changes can be subtle at first and usually become more apparent around the time puberty starts. Here are a few signs that parents can look for to stay on top of early detection for scoliosis. It is important for parents to be aware of the signs of this condition before structural scoliotic curves develop.
Very often the first indication of scoliosis noticed by parents in their children is that there is "something wrong" in the fitting of clothes. One hip may appear higher that the other, a hemline on a skirt or dress may be higher on one side, jeans are too long on one leg, etc.
How to Check Your Child at Home
Having your child shirtless or in a bra is the best way to look at the spine and to observe his/her posture from behind.
Does he/she hold his/her head tipped to one side?
Is one shoulder higher that the other?\
Is one shoulder blade more prominent that the other?
With both arms hanging down to his/her sides, is there more room between his/her body and the arms on one side or the other?
Looking at the child's waist, does one side curve in more than the other?
Does one hip appear higher, or more prominent, than the other?
Have the child bend over at the waist (as to touch his/her toes). Does one side of the spine appear more prominent that the other? Is there a hump or bump on one side between the shoulders, or on the lower back?
If the answer is yes to one of these questions, the child is showing a sign of scoliosis. Now what? If your child presents with some of these symptoms, don't worry many things can be done to help with scoliosis. And actually in most cases a wait and see approach is common, because slight abnormal curvatures are very common in growing children, due to backpacks, computer and phone use, and the rapid growth of the spine. Scoliosis isn't diagnosed until a curvature is 10 degrees and then bracing isn't even considered until the curvature reaches 25 degrees. However, there are things that can be done chiropractically that can help stop the progression of a curvature and in some cases reduce the curvature before bracing becomes necessary. Chiropractor's are trained to look at the misalignments of the spine and how that affects the musculature surrounding the spine. Making sure misalignments aren't present in the spine and giving exercises to help muscle imbalances as your child grows can help tremendously in preventing scoliotic changes in the spine.
If you are at all concerned about your child's spine and the chance of scoliosis bring them to your family chiropractor for a check-up. From there your chiropractor can work with other practitioners to help your child's spine remain straight and sturdy.
— Dr. Ali Schweitzer