May 05, 2015

Remember school scoliosis screenings? Some of us Easley adults do! We were checked back when we were adolescents in school. Chiropractors are spine specialists who check for spinal curvatures.

 picture of scoliosis screening
 So Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. What is it? Do screenings work? What is the goal of treatment for scoliosis? What is chiropractic’s place in the treatment plan? What a topic!?! Young Chiropractic delves into it briefly here to assure young Easley scoliosis patients and their parents that Young Chiropractic is on top of the latest information to manage and/or be a part of your chosen scoliosis care team.

Scoliosis defined. Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine that is greater than 10 degrees on xray imaging. Young Chiropractic appreciates the simplicity of this definition, but Easley scoliosis patients find that their condition is further categorized as congenital, idiopathic or neuromuscular.

 
 
2% to 4% of kids aged 10 to 16 years have some degree of curvature.

Scoliosis screenings.  Since these kids are school-aged when scoliosis starts, school scoliosis screenings were often done. Today, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons still support such screenings. Some organizations have recommended against them due to cost and follow up. (1)  One study reported that of the children screened and referred for further evaluation, 4.1% were referred for additional checking. Of those, only 74% sought further evaluation from a chiropractic or medical physician. 448 kids need to be screened to identify 1 child who needed further follow up treatment. (2)

To be sure young people are checked, scoliosis screenings are left to the doctors who care for them during the well-patient visit. The screening takes less than a minute. Your Easley chiropractic physician is available to check your children’s spines, too. Just ask! If there is no curvature of the spine, great. If there is, fine. Young Chiropractic can set a treatment plan to deal with it earlier than later. Studies show that medical and chiropractic physicians work cooperatively for the benefit of adolescent scoliosis patients. (3)

Lastly, scoliosis screening guidelines. The latest recommendations are that girls are screened twice (at 10 and 12 years) and boys screened once at 13 or 14 years old. (4) Chiropractic physicians specialize in the spine, so trust your Easley chiropractor to check your child’s spine.

Contact Young Chiropractic if you have a young person in need of a spinal check. It’s a healthy choice for your child and re-assuring choice for you.