I was recently asked by a long term patient of mine how a scoliosis can impact her adolescent daughter? Since scoliosis is more common in females then males, and most commonly starts its formation during growth spurts in the adolescent years , I think this is an important question to address.
Scoliosis by definition in an exaggeration or abnormal curvature in the spine. There are a many different types of scoliosis. For this article I want to specifically target the scoliosis that effect infants and adolescents. Scoliosis can effect the way your lungs, heart and internal organs function. The spine is connected to the ribcage so when there is a curve in the spine the ribcage follows through potentially compressing the organs that are encapsulated under the ribcage. However most cases of scoliosis can be managed.
Infantile Scoliosis – This is when the abnormal curve forms before the baby has reached the age of 2. The cause is largely unknown. One theory states that the baby’s sleep positions after birth may effect the formation of the scoliosis. Another is traumatic birth, however the causes is still widely unknown. Early detection is the key for a good prognosis. So how do you pick it up early enough in a baby that can barely speak? Its quite difficult to pick it up before 6 months. Infact I think its impossible to detected it before 6 months unless for some reason your baby has X-rays or MRI’s of the spine.
Once your baby starts to sit up if you notice she is leaning more to one side then the other. You may also notice she may have one shoulder higher on one side. Another give away may be her eyes and ears may not be levelled. However X-rays, and MRIs will need to be carried to confirm the diagnosis. Once diagnosed a chiropractic/physiotherapists will administer stretches to the muscles that are effected mostly by the scoliosis. Monitoring the scoliosis and its progression in more sever cases medical intervention maybe needed this is very rear. In some cases the scoliosis can continue to develop through to adolescent years. However nine out ten cases of these types resolve spontaneously when detected in its early stages.
This leaves me with the they next type of scoliosis that effects adolescent. Adolescent idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is the most common form of scoliosis. Effecting 4% of the teenage population! Its called idiopathic – which a medial term for we have no idea what causes it. AIS is a scoliosis that forms during the adolescent years as the name would suggest! Certain presumptions as to what may cause the scoliosis includes hormonal imbalance , asymmetrical muscle growth, and poor posture.
Here is an example what to look out for when suspecting a scoliosis. there are a few tell tail signs to look out for.
Lets start from the top:
1.Check and see if the eyes and ears are levelled. In this example the right eye is some degree higher.
2. One shoulder might be higher then the other. You can see that the right shoulder is higher then the left.
3.Pelvis should be lined symmetrically. In the picture you can see the left side of the pelvis is slightly higher then the right.
This particular client had regret that she hadn’t bought her daughter in sooner, as she had suffered from back pain as a result of her very own scoliosis, and since some forms of scoliosis’ are genetic. Her daughter on the other had no symptoms, but when X-rays had a scoliosis of 45 degrees – with periodic X-rays to monitor the curve and constructive chiropractic treatment the scoliosis didn’t progress past the 45 degrees.
Having your child assessed by a chiropractor who will check and see if there is an abnormal curve in the spine. Spinal X-rays should be carried out and then retaken periodically to monitor the progression. Chiropractic treatment will consist of spinal manipulation, muscle stretching and strengthening. Research indicates chiropractic can help with reduction of pain naturally. Before the ages of 22 for males and 25 for females treatment has a higher rate of success.
If you have any concerns please feel free to give us a call and have a chat!
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