Recently, the topic #Scoliosis of more than 5 million primary and secondary school students in mainland China rushed to the hot search. With childhood obesity and myopia, scoliosis has become another invisible killer that endangers children's physical health. According to the early circulation data of the Spine Disease Prevention and Control Committee of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, combined with authoritative journals and domestic expert consensus: at present, the number of scoliosis in primary and secondary school students in mainland China has exceeded 5 million, and it is still increasing at a rate of about 300,000 per year.
Idiopathic scoliosis is more common in children and adolescents, the cause is unknown, the incidence is about 2% to 3%, and it is more common in girls. If scoliosis is not well controlled, it may affect the shape of the spine, affect limb function, endanger the function of the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and in severe cases affect growth and development and even endanger life. Therefore, scoliosis should be detected early and treated early, and the best treatment time is 8 to 14 years old.
In daily life, parents should pay special attention to whether the child's shoulders are of equal height, whether the bilateral shoulder blades are symmetrical, whether the bilateral thoracic cage is symmetrical, whether the pelvis is tilted, whether the buttocks are of equal height, and whether the lower limbs are equal length. Once it is found that the child's shoulders are not equally high, the back is high and low after bending, the trunk is skewed, and the sides of the lower back are asymmetrical, it is necessary to go to the hospital for a full spinal X-ray examination as soon as possible, and after the diagnosis, the treatment will be carried out according to the degree of lateral bending under the guidance of the doctor.
What is scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a three-dimensional spinal deformity in which the spine is curved laterally and may be accompanied by changes in vertebral rotation, anterior convexity, or/or kyphosis. The International Society for scoliosis research (SRS) defines scoliosis if the scoliosis angle of the spine is greater than 10° when the Cobb method is measured to measure the standing orthostatic X-ray.
What are the dangers of scoliosis?
1. Affect the shape and growth and development of the spine: skewed trunk, unequal height of both shoulders, uneven back, unequal length of lower limbs, hunchback chicken breast, short stature, limited range of motion;
2. Affect physiological health: symptoms of spinal nerve compression, such as low back pain, lower limb pain, numbness, severe cases can cause limb weakness or even paralysis;
3. Harm to cardiopulmonary function: pulmonary dysplasia, reduced compliance, increased respiratory resistance, and even lead to serious complications such as pulmonary hypertension and cardiopulmonary failure;
4. Affect gastrointestinal function: cause abdominal pressure, poor digestive tract function, indigestion, loss of appetite.
How is scoliosis treated?
1. Close observation and follow-up (below 20 °, every 3 months to 6 months);
2. Brace therapy (20 °~40°): mild scoliosis in children/adolescents;
3. Surgery (more than 40 °): conservative treatment such as braces is poorly controlled, there is a risk of continuous progression, chest bend more than 50 ° or waist bend more than 40 °;
4. Positive functional exercise.
About the Author
Zhang Shengfei, MD, Deputy Chief Physician, Member of the Fracture Group of the Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Salt Disease Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association, has published 15 papers as the first author, won 6 provincial and municipal technology introduction awards and scientific and technological progress awards, and has 2 utility model patents.
Professional expertise: Good at the comprehensive treatment of degenerative diseases of the spine (lumbar disc herniation), spinal trauma (thoracolumbar fracture and spinal cord injury) and osteoporotic vertebral fracture.
Editor: Jiang Xiaoxiao
Review: Tang Jia