My child has scoliosis

What is childhood scoliosis

Did you just notice it: when she bends over, your little Ella has a little bump forming on one side of her spine? Even if it is uncommon in children under 4 – 10% of scoliosis – perhaps she suffers from childhood scoliosis? So you have to consult. “In most cases, genetic and affecting young girls, it is a growth disorder of the spine causing the latter to grow and become deformed. It also happens that scoliosis is caused by a birth defect such as vertebrae fused together, ”explains Prof. Raphaël Vialle *, head of the orthopedic and restorative surgery for children at the Armand Trousseau hospital, in Paris, and co-author of  “Welcome to the children’s hospital” (with Dr Cambon-Binder, Paja Éditions).

Scoliosis: how to detect it?

Except in unusual situations where the malformation is significant, scoliosis is painless in toddlers. It is therefore in the posture of your child that you can notice it. In particular, it begins to become visible from 2-3 years old, when the child stands correctly. “We then notice a ‘gibbosity’ which is an asymmetry marked by a bump on one side of the spine, where the scoliosis is located, in particular when the child leans forward”, decrypts Professor Vialle. The best way to detect it in time is therefore to take advantage of each visit to the pediatrician or general practitioner to have your child’s back examined, at least once a year, until the end of his growth. There is, unfortunately, no way to prevent scoliosis: whatever we do, if the spine does not want to grow straight, we will not be able to prevent it! “However, it is important to diagnose it as soon as possible in order to be able to ensure a good follow-up to the child via regular examinations and x-rays of his spine until the end of his growth”, insists the orthopedic surgeon.

Regular monitoring of scoliosis is essential

Thus, if during a consultation, the doctor detects an anomaly in the spine, he sends his little patient to have an X-ray. In the event of proven scoliosis, a pediatric orthopedist will monitor the child twice a year. Moreover, he reassures: “Without being able to be reabsorbed, certain small scoliosis remain rather stable and require hardly any treatment. »On the other hand, if we notice that the scoliosis is progressing and deforms his back more and more, the first treatment will be to make him wear a corset which will make it possible to control the deformation. More rarely, an intervention may be necessary to straighten the spine. But, weighs Professor Vialle, “if scoliosis is detected early and properly monitored, it remains very exceptional. “