“I am forever reminding my teenage daughter to stand up straight, and she is forever rolling her eyes, telling me that she’s trying. Should I be worried that there is something more going on with her spine? How can I tell the difference between a teenager’s lazy posture and the signs of scoliosis?”
Adolescence is often such a cacophony of change — physical, emotional, and social — that it can be hard for a parent to keep up. As much as your teenager may want you to leave her alone, in this period in her life, she needs parental involvement more than ever — even when it comes to her posture.
In fact, because the body experiences so many growth spurts between the ages of 9 and 15, it is important to know the warning signs of scoliosis and to keep an eye on your child’s spine as she grows.
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine. The spine has natural curvatures that bend forward and back and can be seen from a side view, but from the back, the spine should appear as a straight line. Your daughter’s pediatrician should check for scoliosis at her annual check-up, but it is important to perform at-home checks as well.
To look for the signs for scoliosis at home, have your daughter stand with her back towards you. Assess for the following: is one shoulder higher than another? Does one shoulder blade stick out farther than the other? Does one arm rest father away from the body than the other? Have your daughter lean over: is there a bulge on either side of her back? If the answer to any of the questions is yes, make an appointment with her doctor for further evaluation.
About 10 percent of adolescents have some degree of scoliosis, but fewer than one percent of them develop scoliosis that requires treatment. There are three degrees of scoliosis: mild, moderate, and severe. Through the use of radiography, a doctor can determine the degree of spinal curvature and formulate a course of treatment.
Mild cases of scoliosis are usually left alone and monitored every six months, as they often right themselves. Should they progress into moderate cases, treatment includes a customized brace to help guide the spine as it grows. For severe cases of scoliosis, surgery may be required. Spinal surgery for scoliosis includes the use of rods that are placed along side of and secured to the spine, or, in some cases, fusion of the vertebrae, in an operation called spinal fusion.
The teenage years can be hectic, for the child and parent alike. But taking a moment from your busy schedules to periodically check your daughter’s spine can help detect the signs of scoliosis. Your daughter may roll her eyes, but (eventually) she will probably thank you.
