10 Things to know about … SCOLIOSIS
- It affects between 5 million and 7 million people in the United States.
- It is a condition that affects how the spine structures grow.
- Girls are eight times more likely to have curves that need treatment.
- It runs in families, but sometimes children are the first to have it.
- It is NOT caused by heavy backpacks, certain sports or lazy posture.
- If there is family history of scoliosis, screening with a scoliometer is recommended twice a year for those between in the ages of 10 and 15. If there is no family history of scoliosis, girls should be screened twice a year between the ages of 10 and 12 and boys should be screened once a year at 12 and 13 years old.
- Bracing and scoliosis-specific exercises can help halt the progression of scoliosis.
- Neither scoliosis nor scoliosis surgery affect the ability to have children.
- Low-dose imaging subjects patients to between 50% and 95% less radiation than other systems.
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