12-year-old girl with crooked spine to surgery! Children should be careful when they experience these symptoms
This summer
Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine
The Orthopedic Spine Surgery Clinic has ushered in a wave of peak visits
From early July to early August
In just over a month
20 scoliosis correction surgeries have been performed
Mengmeng, a 12-year-old girl, has just completed corrective surgery
12-year-old Mengmeng, who is tall, but in poor shape, has high and low shoulders, and was diagnosed with scoliosis at the local hospital more than a year ago, and already has indications for surgery. But Mengmeng's mother wanted to treat conservatively first, and the brace was worn for a year without any effect, and in one year, Mengmeng's height suddenly jumped to 1.72 meters, and the spine was even more crooked.
Chen Wenhao, deputy director and deputy chief physician of the orthopedic department of the hospital, introduced: "The main bend of the Mengmeng spine is at the position of the chest bend, and there is a compensatory bend in the abdomen, and the angle of the bend is about 40 degrees. If orthopedic surgery is not done in time, it may cause compression to the heart and lungs and affect cardiopulmonary function. ”
Scoliosis refers to abnormal curvature of type C or S of the spine greater than 10 degrees, and most children with scoliosis can be treated conservatively by brace orthopedics, physical rehabilitation exercises, etc., but if the degree of scoliosis is greater than 40 degrees, surgery is required as soon as possible. Mengmeng has currently undergone corrective surgery.
Dr Chan said: "Scoliosis is caused by genetic factors, environmental factors, and lifestyle factors, and it is usually the onset of children aged 10 to 16. ”
Scoliosis has become the third major disease that endangers the health of children and adolescents in mainland China after obesity and myopia. So how can parents tell if their child has scoliosis?
Dr. Chen Wenhao reminded: "In the case of scoliosis, you can see that the spine on the back is significantly curved; If you let the child bend down, you can see an obvious razor back, that is, one side of the back is relatively raised and higher, and the other side is relatively low. ”
Learn about scoliosis
What is scoliosis
Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that is greater than 10° C or S. Types of scoliosis include: idiopathic, congenital, syndromic scoliosis, etc. Among them, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common type.
It is estimated that the number of primary and secondary school students with scoliosis in mainland China has exceeded 5 million, and it is increasing at a rate of about 300,000 per year.
harm
Appearance deformity
Low back pain, neurological dysfunction
If the scoliosis that has appeared in children and adolescents cannot be detected, intervened and treated in time, the degree of deformity will gradually worsen, and even low back pain will appear. If the spinal nerves are compressed, people may experience reduced mobility and even paraplegia. At the same time, the difficulty and cost of treatment increase, and ultimately it will bring a serious burden to families and society.
Abnormal cardiopulmonary function
Severe scoliosis will compress the respiratory and circulatory systems and deform the thoracic cage, affecting the development of cardiopulmonary function, resulting in irreversible injuries such as paralysis, cardiopulmonary dysfunction or failure.
Psychological disorders
Scoliosis not only affects the physical function and appearance of patients, but also makes these children feel afraid and worried about social interaction, resulting in low self-esteem and autism, which affects their learning and social skills, as well as employment and marriage in adulthood.
Scoliosis "red flags"
1. Four horizontal and one vertical
Parents can observe whether the child's back is symmetrical through the method of "four horizontal and one vertical", see whether the two shoulders are equal height, whether the lower corners of the two shoulder blades are equal height, whether the two lumbar fossas are symmetrical, whether the height of the iliac crest on both sides of the pelvis is consistent, and whether the spinous process connection is in the midline.
2. Forward flexion experiment
Bring your heels together, legs straight, bend your torso forward 90°, and place your hands together between your knees. If there is a deformation of the spine, there will be a significant asymmetry (≥5°) in the height of the two sides, which is medically called "razor back deformity", and it can also be detected by itself.
If the above "red flags" appear, you should go to a medical institution in time to achieve early detection and diagnosis through examination such as full-length X-rays of the spine. Mild scoliosis can control its progression by wearing a brace.
How can I prevent scoliosis?
The main causes of postural scoliosis are prolonged poor sitting posture, lack of exercise, and malnutrition.
Change sedentary behavior and correct poor standing and sitting posture
Children and adolescents who stand and sit in a bad position for a long time will cause inconsistent stress on both sides of the spine, and the muscle strength on both sides of the spine will be unbalanced, and long-term improper sitting posture will cause scoliosis.
School and home desks and chair heights, lighting conditions, and the use of electronic products may all have an impact on their sitting posture. When reading, doing homework and reading electronic products, you should adjust the appropriate light intensity, maintain a suitable distance, and maintain a normal sitting and standing posture. When writing homework, your eyes are about one foot (about 30cm) away from the book, your body is about a fist (about 6cm) away from the desk, and your fingers are about an inch (about 3cm) away from the tip of the pen. Do not lie down to read books and watch electronics.
Increase physical activity and physical activity
Lack of exercise and malnutrition will lead to insufficient back muscle strength, children and adolescents accumulate no less than 60 minutes of moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise every day, and no less than 3 days of resistance exercise per week to enhance muscle strength and bone health. Parents should also provide children with nutritionally balanced, bone-healthy diets to promote healthy spine development.
Source: Hangzhou Taiwan, Jiangsu CDC