Your Childrens Health

Scoliosis is a musculoskeletal disorder that causes a sideways curvature of the spine or backbone.

Some people with scoliosis require treatment, although people with milder curves may only need to visit their physician for observation. Of every thousand children, three to five develop spinal curves that are large enough to treat.

In eighty to eighty five percent of people, the cause of scoliosis is unknown and it is referred to as Idiopathic Scoliosis. Before diagnosing this type of scoliosis, the doctor will look for other possible causes, like injury or infection. The causes of curves are classified as the structurable or non-structureable.

• Structureable Scoliosis is a fixed curve that doctors treat case by case. Sometimes it is part of a syndrome or disease. In other cases it occurs by itself.

• Non Structurable (functional) Scoliosis is a normal spine that appears curved. It is a temporary, changing curve. It is usually cause by an underlying condition like muscle spasms, difference in leg length or inflammatory problems like appendicitis.Doctors usually treat the underlying problem with this type of scoliosis.

In diagnosing scoliosis, the doctor will talk to the patient about medical history; for example birth defects, trauma or any other disorders that can be associated with scoliosis. The doctor checks to see if the patients shoulders are level, and weather the head is centered, and if the opposite sides of the body look even. They will examine the back muscles to see if one rib cage is higher than the other. Sometimes there are changes in the skin that look like coffee with milk colored spots. These can suggest that the scoliosis is caused by a birth defect.

Quite a few children are sent to the doctor with very mild spinal curves. When a child does need treatment, the doctor may send them to an Orthopedic Spinal Specialist. The doctor will suggest the treatment going by the patient’s age, and how much more they will grow. It also depends on the pattern of the curve. The doctor can recommend observation, bracing or surgery.

If you have any concerns or questions about Scoliosis please contact your family doctor.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 15th, 2006 at 12:51 am and is filed under Pregnancy and Newborns, Medical Care, Growing Pains. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.