What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine. The spine will twist and rotate as it curves. Scoliosis usually develops during early adolescence (age 10-13 years) when the child is going through the teenage growth spurt.
What causes Scoliosis?
In most cases, the cause is unknown and the child is otherwise healthy. If there is scoliosis in the family, the child has a greater chance of developing it.
Why is early detection important?
While most small curves stay small and never require any treatment, some curves do get worse as the child grows. When treatment is needed, the earlier it is started, the better the end result.
Why Screen for Scoliosis at home?
There is no school screening program for scoliosis in Canada. Since small curves typically do not cause any discomfort, the problem can go unnoticed. The way to detect scoliosis is to look for it!
What treatments are available?
When a curve is detected early enough, brace treatment is usually successful in preventing further worsening. If not detected early enough, surgery can successfully treat severe curves.
Where can I find more information?
There is a vast amount of information on the internet. We recommend the following websites for reliable information:
Scoliosis Research Society: Handbook about Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Navigating your Journey:
http://www.srs.org/ http://www.settingscoliosisstraight.org/HSG_Scoliosis_Handbook858.pdf
iScoliosis website for teens:
http://www.iscoliosis.com/
What causes Scoliosis?
In most cases, the cause is unknown and the child is otherwise healthy. If there is scoliosis in the family, the child has a greater chance of developing it.
Why is early detection important?
While most small curves stay small and never require any treatment, some curves do get worse as the child grows. When treatment is needed, the earlier it is started, the better the end result.
Why Screen for Scoliosis at home?
There is no school screening program for scoliosis in Canada. Since small curves typically do not cause any discomfort, the problem can go unnoticed. The way to detect scoliosis is to look for it!
What treatments are available?
When a curve is detected early enough, brace treatment is usually successful in preventing further worsening. If not detected early enough, surgery can successfully treat severe curves.
Where can I find more information?
There is a vast amount of information on the internet. We recommend the following websites for reliable information:
Scoliosis Research Society: Handbook about Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Navigating your Journey:
http://www.srs.org/ http://www.settingscoliosisstraight.org/HSG_Scoliosis_Handbook858.pdf
iScoliosis website for teens:
http://www.iscoliosis.com/
| ScoliosisAlberta brochure on screening |