Mild scoliosis in an 11 year old

[Sanddunes]

Hello,

my son was complaining of lower back pain so the doctor did an x-ray. The report just cane today. It says mild lumbar levoscoliosis with a cobb angle measuring 14 degrees. The have referred us to an occupational therapist for further advice/treatment. What does this diagnosis mean? Is it something worrying? Does it get better with time? How is this treated? I am worried sick!

My 15yr old was recently diagnosed with scoliosis, a much larger curve at 32 degrees. We were given very reassuring info from scoliosis uk and will be seen again. Their website might be helpful? Surgeon said that it was unlikely my child would need surgery but they are keeping us under review.

Did they check for any underlying leg length discrepancy? I’ve had a mild scoliosis since birth - I’m mid 40s and it’s never caused me significant issues to date. Obviously it needs further investigation but to set your mind at rest.

I was diagnosed at 12 following a school examination. I don't know the degree of the curve but I never needed any treatment. I was monitored until I was 16 then discharged.

I have never had any pain or ill effects from it.

I do recall being told not to become overweight - not entirely sure why!

I’m not in the Uk but my daughter was diagnosed with a 23 degree curve at 14. She now wears.a back brace at night at it has done wonders. She’ll have to keep wearing it until she stops growing and does an hour physio a week, and is meant to do exercises at home. I was terrified at the start but it’s all going fine and she has dealt really well with it. My understanding is that wearing the brace for their growing period is a good option as it is hard to tell how fast it will progress. We know quite a few teenagers with a brace so it is not a big deal for her.

Similar here - DD was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 yo - also 14 degrees - when she hit puberty, hers progressed pretty rapidly (literally in 3 months to 25 angle), so she ended up wearing a brace at night for 3 years, which didn't correct it (it is not supposed to), but stopped the progression.

We are also not in the UK and here they don't take a wait-and-see approach, so I am glad we had the option of the brace route. She also has regular massages to compensate for muscular imbalance.

So, I guess, my point is—14 degrees is nothing, so please don't worry, but do keep an eye on any changes, as they can happen super fast. I am glad that I noticed when I did.

My son was diagnosed with mild scoliosis when he was 16. I had first noticed a slight curve in his back when he was 10, but at the time, the hospital assured us it was nothing to be concerned about. When he was sitting his GCSEs, he started to complain of back pain. Initially, I assumed it was due to the amount of time he was spending sitting during exams.

He was referred to a consultant, who was immediately concerned about the weight of his school bag (and we discussed with teachers and made changes re equipment needed for school). The consultant checked his legs etc. An X-ray then revealed a slight spinal curve, and also showed a shadow on his lung - which, thankfully, turned out to be nothing more than an infection but could have contributed to the pain he was experiencing. He underwent several weeks of physiotherapy, which made a real difference. He’s 17 now and doesn’t complain of back pain much anymore as the physiotherapist also showed him exercises he can continue doing at home, which have been very helpful and I bought his some support foam pillows.

Just to add, I was told that many people have mild curves in their spine without ever knowing, simply because they never have an X-ray.

Also, to add, there are some studies that show a link between malocclusion and scoliosis. This was definitely a case with my daughter, so do keep an eye on it as well.

And, apparently, correcting the teeth can improve the alignment of the spine (not the other way round), which, I suppose, makes sense.

We have not been able to get info from the GO regarding the condition, just a referral to a pjysical therapist. How does this condition affect a child’s daily activities? Is it fairly common? Growing up, i never heard of classmates etc getting diagnosed with it. Can it be reversed?

A disclaimer - I am not a doctor, but have lived with moderate scoliosis since the age of 13, and now my daughter has it as well.

To answer some questions, it often appears in teens (more prevalent in girls), can be inherited, but the exact causes are unknown, hence the term ‘idiopathic’.

In general, it can’t be reversed considerably, unless you have surgery, which is recommended in severe cases – these are usually picked up by doctors quite quickly, so not your case, please don’t worry.

Mild scoliosis is super common, but it is not diagnosed often and doesn’t affect the quality of life. Moderate scoliosis can cause back pain at some point, as the muscles around the curve start to compensate for the imbalance by either shortening (stiffening) on one side and lengthening on the other. This can be exacerbated by carrying heavy backpacks or bags on one shoulder only (my endless fight with my DD).

Getting into yoga or Pilates is a good way to build body awareness, so you learn to compensate for the curve. Otherwise, stretching arms up towards the ceiling daily to lengthen the spine is also good. Special exercises work only if you do them regularly (good luck with teens with that).

My daughter has never had any pain - it was just picked up by the GP at a routine check up. There has been no impact on her activities - in fact she has been actively encouraged to keep up her sports. Here they gave a special note to get two sets of school books to lighten the load of the backpack but that is the only thing. It is a bit of a pain at sleepovers and to bring on holidays but not a huge deal. I also understand it is much more common in girls. She is really bad at doing her exercises alone, but they look very much like floor pilates moves. The physio does all that with her so she is getting the minimim at least...

My understanding is that surgery is very much for the severe cases / ones that haven't been found in time and it sounds like your son has been picked up very early so that is great. The brace keeps the spine in place as it grows and the objective is to make sure it doesn't get any worse.

All my previous knowledge about scoliosis had been picked up from Judy Blume's Deenie (we were obssessed with Judy Blume as tweenagers) and I re-read it when my daughter was diagnosed but thankfully treatment has moved on a bit from that now. It's been a year since diagnoisis now and I was very upset at the start but it has been fine so far. We all were tested for scoliois in school as girls in the eighties by the nurse at around 12yrs in Ireland, not sure if it is still done.

Has anyone been told to avoid long rides for mild scoliosis? My son will start a new school in september and the daily commute on the bus will be 2-3 hours. We don't live in the UK.

Don't worry—long rides are absolutely fine. Just get him to stretch afterwards, and indeed, any physical activity is good.

If you can afford it, occasional massages with a good physiotherapist specialising in scoliosis can also be good. Otherwise, it is really not a limiting condition—my daughter lives her life absolutely normally.

Because it will just put extra strain on your cardiovascular system, and some people with a curvature of the spine, will have some degree of breathing difficulties, or could develop them, depending on severity of the curvature.

Cardiopulmonary system, I meant to say, and was too late to edit.