What is scoliosis? A normal person’s spine should look straight from the front or back, and both sides of the trunk should be symmetrical. If the spine is curved to the left or right from the front or back, you have “scoliosis”. In mild scoliosis, there is no obvious discomfort and no visible physical deformity. More severe scoliosis can affect the growth and development of the body deformation, in the back of the chest can be raised a “rib peak”, called “razor back”, especially when bending forward more obvious. At this time, a full frontal and lateral X-ray of the spine in the standing position should be taken. If the X-ray shows a lateral curvature of the spine greater than 10 degrees, scoliosis is diagnosed. How can this scoliosis be detected early? 1, infancy – adolescence: after birth, parents find that the child has abnormal hair or “pouches” on the back, like to curl up in bed or sitting on one side should suspect the possibility of congenital scoliosis, if parents find that their children grow slower than other children, or the upper and lower body development is disproportionate, should also raise suspicion. When children begin to walk, if you find that the shoulders are not level or both lower limbs are not equal in length, asymmetry on both sides of the hips, scoliosis should be highly suspected and require further examination in a timely manner at the hospital. 2, adolescence: scoliosis, especially idiopathic scoliosis, is often found in adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14, because this period is the second growth spurt in a person’s life, the spine grows faster, the original slight scoliosis in this period is also faster, so parents should pay special attention to this age group of adolescents. If you find that your child has the following signs, be alert to whether he or she has scoliosis: one shoulder is higher than the other; asymmetrical development of both breasts in girls; bulging back on one side; asymmetrical waistline; higher hips on one side than the other. At this time, you can give your child some simple checks, such as touching the spine’s spines with your hand to see if they are in a straight line, and you can also ask your child to take off his or her clothes to stand normally and bend forward and keep the knees upright, if the curvature of the spine is abnormal or if the ribs are not flat and even you can highly suspect this disease. What if, after a simple examination, you find that your child has scoliosis? The doctor will take a full spine x-ray (scientific name: standing full spine frontal and lateral x-ray) to assess the degree of scoliosis, which sometimes does not require treatment for mild scoliosis but requires regular follow-up. The treatment plan will be individualized based on the patient’s age or degree of scoliosis, type of deformity, characteristics, segmentation, rate of progression, the patient’s bone development, and the degree of impact of the deformity on the patient’s posture. Treatment options include conservative treatment and surgical treatment. Common non-surgical treatments include physical therapy, gymnastics, and bracing, but there is clear evidence that bracing is the most effective method. Idiopathic scoliosis of 25 degrees or less can generally be left untreated for close observation, and if it worsens more than 5 degrees per year, bracing should be performed. Scoliosis with a first diagnosis of 30-40 degrees should be treated immediately with bracing, because more than 60% of this group of patients will develop and worsen. Scoliosis over 40 degrees usually requires surgery because bracing is no longer effective. For patients with congenital scoliosis, the principle of early detection and early treatment should be adopted, and the most commonly used surgical procedures are hemivertebrectomy and growth rod techniques.