Remember school scoliosis screenings? A few of us
McHenry adults do! We were checked back when we were adolescents in
school. Chiropractors are spine specialists who look for spinal curvatures.
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!?! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
delves into it briefly here to assure young McHenry scoliosis
patients and their parents that OrthoIllinois 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. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
is thankful for the clarity of this definition, but McHenry scoliosis
patients find that their condition is additionally categorized as congenital,
idiopathic or neuromuscular.
2% to 4% of kids aged 10 to 16 years have some degree of
curvature.
Scoliosis screenings.
Due to the fact 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 McHenry 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. OrthoIllinois 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 McHenry chiropractor to check your child’s
spine.
Contact OrthoIllinois 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.