5 Facts about Scoliosis Every Parent Should Know

Early diagnosis is key.

It is important for parents to make sure their children are receiving regular checkups so that conditions like scoliosis can be diagnosed and managed early. “If scoliosis can be diagnosed before the child has a growth spurt,” says Jain, “we can often use interventions such as bracing to keep the curve from getting worse.”

Common signs of scoliosis include uneven shoulders or hips, but it is generally a painless condition that may go unnoticed until a routine exam or physical. “The curve gets worse around the time of growth,” Jain notes, “and parents are often surprised that they did not notice it before.”

Most cases of scoliosis have no known cause.

Parents: It’s not your fault if your child is diagnosed with scoliosis. “Parents always ask what they could have done to prevent scoliosis,” says Jain, “but really it’s genetically programmed, and there are no known causes or prevention methods.”

It’s also very common for parents to ask if bad posture or heavy backpacks could have caused their child’s scoliosis. While these two things may be associated with back pain, they do not cause scoliosis, Jain says. 

Scoliosis runs in families.

“When parents hear scoliosis runs in families, they often say, ‘But nobody in our family has it,’” says Jain. “But in reality, it may have gone unnoticed because it is a very mild case.” Of course, there are also instances where a child is the first in the family to develop the condition.

Only a small percentage of people with scoliosis need treatment.

“Good news is that only a small percentage (about 20%) need bracing, and an even smaller percentage (about 10%) of patients with scoliosis need surgery,” Jain shares. For children who are still growing, an external torso brace can be used to prevent further worsening of scoliosis while the child grows. Even when wearing a brace, most children live normal lives and participate in the same activities as their peers.

Surgery, if needed, has good outcomes.

If your child turns out to need surgery, Jain — who performs over 300 spine surgeries a year — advises parents that while it may be a hard decision to make on behalf of your child, having surgery sooner rather than later is better. “Scoliosis surgery has become really advanced, and kids do very well with it,” Jain assures. When done early, the surgery tends to be simpler, as less of the spine needs to be manipulated. “Most kids only miss about three weeks of school and are back to doing things they like by the six-week mark,” Jain shares. “At Johns Hopkins, we are lucky to have an amazing team to care for these children.”