Scoliosis remains a problem that affects 2 to 3% of the population and develops in childhood in an insidious way. We usually never know the cause, but we do know that the earlier we treat, the better. We are now asking parents for a hand, because the doctor often misses …
It is children who suffer from it, but it is up to parents to know how to detect it. Because it’s not that complicated to see if your son or daughter has a back deformity.
Scoliosis is an S-shaped spine deformity. It is the most common of the spinal deformities that mostly affects girls. 8 for 2 boys.
Only the spine of humans bends this way. Animals, a priori, do not suffer from scoliosis. It is our standing position that gives us this privilege. This is the explanation most often given.
It is also sometimes a neuromuscular disease, a birth defect. It may also be due to the aging of the crumbling bones as in osteoporosis; Or even an accident.
But in ¾ of the cases, the real cause is completely unknown. There would be genetic factors, hormonal factors – hence the girls – others linked to growth, but that remains quite a mystery.
“Fake News”
We often hear it said that the main culprit behind our children’s back problems is the schoolbag, which is necessarily too heavy. It is a “Fake News” as our president would say, peddled every year at the time of the start of the school year.. Scoliosis is neither the consequence of a more or less asymmetrical weight carried on the back, nor even of an unequal length of the lower limbs as we hear from time to time.
Scoliosis is easily detected
A simple radio would do the screening. But, as we cannot pass a radio to all the children, which is moreover very often, nothing beats the gaze of a father or especially a mother. It is at the same time very simple but difficult to describe.
The Yves Cotrel Foundation, created under the aegis of the Institut de France, has been offering a 45-second video for three years, very short and remarkably well done.
An initiative that will do more for the future of these children, than a lot of quick consultations. It is indeed simple and easy, just by leaning your child over and then looking at him from behind.
What if the screening is positive?
Let’s go to the x-ray! A simple snapshot, an easy and quick painless examination. To determine the cases that require simple monitoring or non-operative treatment, which will then be carried out in the best conditions of comfort and final result, on the sole condition that the deformity has been detected at the earliest in childhood .
Most of the time we just watch children with scoliosis. If this progresses badly, or if the curvature is too important, we will call on the physiotherapist, in addition to other treatments. There are two of them: the often plastered corset and if it is really too important, but that we should not see any more in our country, the surgery.
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