Scoliosis

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I think my son has Paget's disease

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My son has Gilbert's disease

Question
A friend of mine has recently found out that her three-year-old daughter has a severely curved spine.

Would she have been born with this, and should it have been found at birth? Will she have to have operations to correct this condition?

What will be done?

Answer
Mild degrees of a sideways curvature of the spine in children are not uncommon, but when the curvature is moderate to severe, it will require treatment.

Scoliosis, as this spinal curvature is called, occurs in about 4 children in every 1000. Whilst it is not seen in infants and toddlers it usually becomes apparent at the age of 10.

So if your friend's child has been shown to have scoliosis at three, it must be quite severe.

Scoliosis may be caused by a structural problem within the spine itself or because of unequal leg-length, but when X-rays confirm a severe degree of scoliosis, treatment will be required.

Where unequal leg length is the problem, special footwear can occasionally overcome the problem.

In severe forms, however, treatment by specialists involving physiotherapy to strengthen weakened muscles, and wearing a special brace to force the spine into a better position, will be required to prevent permanent disability.

Occasionally, surgery will be needed to realign and fuse the spine. This will prevent the ribs being forced out of their normal position as the child grows older, which could result in asymmetry of the chest, the development of a hump on one side, and perhaps breathing difficulty in later life.

Yours sincerely

The Medical Team

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