PT Health Life – Scoliosis in children is on the rise in our country due to many different causes. If not treated promptly, it will leave many dangerous complications for children, causing body deformities and disorders. postural disorder.
1. Causes of scoliosis of the spine
The spine plays a very important role in all human life activities. It forms a framework that supports the body, gives people an upright posture, and protects the spinal cord and internal organs in the body.
Scoliosis is a condition in which the vertebrae are curved to one side or rotated. This is also the most common disease in adolescents and young children today, with a high incidence of scoliosis in children. Girls are taller than boys.
There are many causes of scoliosis , including:
- Spontaneous causes in adolescents: Accounts for 85% of cases. The risk factor that can cause scoliosis in children is incorrect sitting posture: Skewing the shoulders to the left or right, bowing the head too low. Students have to sit and study for too long on tables and chairs that are not the right size. Students who have the habit of carrying a bag on one side without wearing it on both shoulders… will also cause scoliosis.
- Unknown cause: Up to 80% of patients have scoliosis without a clear cause, but most are related to lifestyle, injury or accident. Doctors believe that accidental injury causes muscle spasms. Then, due to the development of the body around that muscle area, curvature will form.
- Due to the nervous system: Some diseases such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy also cause complications in gait and muscle spasms, leading to a crooked spine.
- Congenital: This is a very rare case, but there are still some people born with an abnormal spine.
- Due to the length of the legs: If one leg is longer than the other, it will cause misalignment of the hip joint and directly lead to scoliosis.
- Besides, some scientists believe that the origin of scoliosis is due to a minor injury or accident to the neck or hip without proper attention and treatment. This leads to pressure accumulation in an area of muscle, affecting the body’s balance system and gradually bending the spine.
2. Signs of scoliosis in children
When suffering from scoliosis, the patient may have the following signs:
- The two shoulders are not equal.
- There is a clear difference between the two shoulder blades.
- Uneven waist area.
- One hip is higher than the other.
- One side of the rib cage protrudes forward.
- The back rises when bending forward.
However, in cases where scoliosis is suspected, the way to detect it is as follows:
To easily observe the patient, take off some clothes, leave the body and legs exposed, remove shoes, stand straight, heels together.
The doctor observed the shoulders, the two scapulae, and the iliac crest. In the case of scoliosis, the examiner may see abnormalities such as high shoulders, low shoulders, and uneven sloping shoulders.
The shoulder blades protrude, one side is high and the other is low, the distance from the two scapula tips to the vertebral spine is not equal; The two iliac crests are unbalanced, one side is low and the other is high.
This case may be due to long legs and short legs, leading to misalignment of the body’s center of gravity and scoliosis due to posture; Have the patient bend down, use your fingers to rub along the vertebrae, or use a pen or lipstick to mark the vertebrae.
Then have the patient stand upright and observe the marked points. In the case of scoliosis, the vertebrae are more or less rotated, causing the vertebral spines to be misaligned, the markers are not in a straight line, but are shifted to the right or left.
For detecting spinal curvature, the detection method is as follows:
Observe the patient’s normal standing position from left to right or from right to left.
If normal, the patient’s posture is neat, the body is kept straight, the head is up, the shoulders are balanced, the abdomen is slightly tense, and the legs are straight. If you have a hunchback, your back is round, your shoulders are low, your stomach is protruding, and your head is tilted forward. If the upper part of the body leans slightly backwards, the abdomen sags. If you have hunched shoulders, your head leans forward and your shoulders sag.
3. Physician advice
Scoliosis is not a dangerous disease, does not cause serious immediate harm, however the disease will greatly affect the physical and mental health of a future generation, such as: Causing center deviation body, causing students to not sit upright in class, hindering reading and writing, causing visual stress and poor mental concentration, leading to negative effects on learning outcomes; Affects the functioning of the heart, lungs and the development of the pelvis (especially for girls, it will affect childbirth when they are adults): Skeletal body, unbalanced steps, uneven gait will all affect aesthetics.
When you detect unusual signs, go to a medical facility for a definitive diagnosis and advice on preventive measures for timely treatment.
