Very arched back in 12 year old - sign of scoliosis or bad in itself?

[Guiltridden12345]

my 12 year old has a very arched back. Always has. In loose clothes it looks like she’s fat as her stomach sticks out so far. In bikini (we’re on hols) I can see it’s still extremely arched and her walk is quite waddle like (on beach to be fair!). I asked her to tense her tummy muscles and this immediately straightened her back up a bit but in relaxed state she’s very duck like - very arched back and sticky out bum.

she also sometimes looks a bit wonky, but suspect we all do when relaxed. However I’m wondering if I should take her to doc to look at her back? She’s a gymnast, and I know this can worsen/encourage lordosis (the arched lower back), so want to make sure she’s not exacerbating anything. Her cousin by marriage (not blood) also had a severe scoliosis so I’m possibly hyper aware.

aibu to be concerned, and to make a doc appt when home?

Definitely take her to the physio, I have lordosis and it is part of the cause of back pain issues I've had. Children ought to be regularly assessed for scoliosis and lordosis as they're growing and so much can change so quickly.

Op clearly states that her child is hypermobile. So a connective tissue disorder would be a safe starting point to be honest. Eds is the most common as well, which would explain why its mentioned so frequently

Thanks everyone. Through my own physio, I’ve booked her in with a paediatric physio who specialises in musculoskeletal conditions in kids. Will then go to gp for X-rays etc if that’s necessary. Thanks for all your advice. I have always seen her physique as normal because it’s mine, but interesting to hear it’s potentially problematic.

I didn't mean to scaremonger. I had a very problematic pregnancy because of hypermobility and having done too much joint flexibility work in my 20s. I wish I'd known what I should and shouldn't be doing sooner

@bryceQ don’t worry, I didn’t take it as scaremongering, it’s your experience and is valid. All these responses have encouraged me to get it checked out, worst case scenario is £50 wasted quid. She’s well worth that. And if there is something going on then early diagnosis has to be a good thing.

Sounds like a great plan 🙏 fingers crossed it won't be a problem for her and she just takes up pilates!

Treatment for scholiosis was physio and regular x rays at a childrens hospital to grade the curve, but I was diagnosed age 7 so a bit earlier so physio during growth may have been more helpful. The curve did go down in % curve between 7 and 18 when it was last checked. It does still cause me a little discomfort and still has a curve but it isn't severe.

The hypermobility caused me more issues, my wrists are not strong compared to others so strength in lifting etc is limited as my wrists just don't hold, and I've always been a 'clumsy' walker. I'm having to use supports on both ankles now (approaching 40)

Sounds like you did well from it being caught early, lifelong physio must be tough though. But I suppose those facing an op might wish for that. What a tough situation. My friend had the op at 15/16 and has had lifelong pain since. Never once heard her moan. Life sucks sometimes, and feels so unfair.

Girls at school , years ago, used to be routinely checked for scoliosis. They were made to touch their toes. If you stand behind when they are doing this you would see one side of the back raised, Both my daughters have it the older one told me she felt lop-sided and I could see her school skirt higher on one side than the other. The younger one I checked myself using the technique I mentioned. They were both monitored at a scoliosis clinic until they had finished growing. If the angle of the curve had reached a certain value they would have been offered an operation (like Princess Eugenie) but it didn't come to that.

@Illdoittommorow I too had routine checks for scoliosis at school- but this was abroad. Do they do this in the UK at all?

You need to get an X-ray at a chiropractor clinic or similar, I would skip out doctors because they won’t take yoj seriously.
yiu need to get a photo of the X-ray or to know her curve is it looks like it’s scoliosis and then make sure a doctor refers you to a specialist.
remember the curve can be many different ways and twisted too.
im
in a very supportive scoliosis group on Facebook for teens and people have taught me loads.

I believe that they haven't done these checks in the UK for Years now.

I was going to say hypermobile. My DD is the same. Her muscles are so lax they do not hold her up in good posture for long at all. It is such a shame because I think she is going to end up with significant problems from it but she has done a tonne of exercises to absolutely no avail. I will be following this with interest for suggestions.

I hope you can get her some good advice for managing her hypermobility well, that sounds like it is the main issue most likely. Ideally she should be able to continue enjoying the benefits of it (eg gym), but learn how to protect her joints / what she can do to strengthen muscles to compensate for loose ligaments / what to avoid doing (stretching too far etc).

I agree the easiest way to know if there is a sideways scoliosis curve is to look at her back from behind with her bending forward - easy to do in a gym leotard. I've checked my daughter that way before now...