Scoliosis screenings coming
In addition to blood pressure, vision and hearing screenings, sixth-graders at Morrison Elementary will soon receive screenings for scoliosis. The screenings are being conducted as part of the Coordinated School Health Program, of which the school is a pilot site.
Scoliosis is an S- or C-shaped curvature of the spine. While everyone’s spine has natural curves which round the shoulders and cause the lower back to curve slightly inward, scoliosis causes the spine to curve from side to side.
There is no known cause for scoliosis. Gone unchecked it can lead to serious damage to underlying organs and may reduce the efficiency of the heart and lungs due to spinal curvature creating a chest deformity. Breathing difficulties may also arise, as might enlargement of the heart.
Morrison school nurse Cheryl Kelly said the screenings are being performed only on the school’s sixth-graders because it is around the start of the adolescent growth spurt that symptoms of scoliosis most often become noticeable. She added the school system’s heath department would like to expand the screenings to the entire system, possibly as early as next year.
“Statistics show that 4 to 5 percent of the early adolescent population has measurable spinal curves and that girls are four times more likely than boys to develop scoliosis,” she said.
The screenings will be performed by Kelly and fellow nurse Jill Brock. During the process, the students will be asked to stand and bend forward. A scoliosis meter will be used to tell if the spine is level. Students are advised to wear a loose shirt during the screening.
Kelly stressed the screenings are just that – screenings. No diagnosis will be made. Students determined to have spinal curvature will be advised to seek a diagnostic assessment and, if needed, treatment from their physicians.
Early detection is key in the fight against scoliosis and parents are encouraged to watch for certain “tip-offs” beginning when their child is around age 8: uneven shoulders, uneven waist, leaning to one side, elevated hips and prominent shoulder blade(s).
It was this latter tip-off that got the attention of Melissa Orrick, mother of 6-year-old Madison, a first-grader at Morrison.
“She was playing on the floor and I saw her left shoulder blade was protruding. I took her to the doctor and he said it was juvenile scoliosis,” she said.
While a rarity in someone so young, the disease is not confined to adolescents and adults. For treatment, Madison was given a brace, which wraps around her mid-section. Orrick said the brace worn by her daughter 14 hours a day does little to slow her down and that she leads a life comparable to her classmates.
“She can do anything, with no restrictions, even go swimming,” Orrick said.