I wanted to talk today about scoliosis because I had a 15 year old patient come in with that exact problem. Scoliosis of the spine is when the spine decides to curve sideways. It can happen to about 12% of the population! It usually will happen to young girls between the ages of 10-12 and in young boys between the ages of 11-13. The ratio is usually 8 girls to 1 boy. There are usually no known causes of scoliosis which is why it is called “idiopathic”. It can be linked to many health issues as the vertebras turn sideways and can cause compression of the nerves and organs.

It is very important and I encourage all of my patients to bring me their little girls and boys at this age at least to do a simple screen of scoliosis. If it is detected early it can be monitored and helped by certain therapies.

At home you can at least look at a few things to tell you if your kids may have scoliosis

1- Look for a difference in shoulder height

2- Asymmetry in 3D of the shoulder blade

3-Hips are uneven

4- When your child bends down do you see a bump on one side of the back

If you suspect something call your chiropractor. The faster it is taken care of the better the chances will be that we can prevent progression with proper intervention. There is this great new product that is being used right now. It is called SpineCor. It is a flexible brace that will help correct the spine. There are many studies now that have shown it’s efficacy!

Scoliosis can have consequences during your child’s life.It takes two minutes to verify so feel free to call and bring me your kids to check if they have an issue or not.

Valerie Lavigne