Scoliosis - a disease caused by incorrect posture in childhood

Sitting in the wrong posture, many children have spinal deformities but without treatment, they grow up with a curved body for life.

Thu, from Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, was diagnosed with scoliosis by her parents when she was in 7th grade. She was examined at Hospital 1A but did not receive treatment. From then until adulthood, Thu often had back pain, difficulty breathing, and could not climb many stairs. After 10 years of living with the disease, Thu went to the Musculoskeletal Correction Center at Hospital 1A for examination. Doctor Calvin Q Trinh, Head of the Musculoskeletal Correction Center, diagnosed Thu with severe thoracic and lumbar scoliosis, loss of physiological curvature of the cervical spine, and deformed thoracic vertebrae.

"Unfortunately, this patient discovered the disease early but did not receive treatment. Now it is too late and the patient cannot return to his original appearance," said Dr. Trinh.

Son, 18 years old, in Hai Phong, was diagnosed with the disease in 2018. The doctor advised him to exercise and wear a brace but did not treat it. Three years later, the scoliosis progressed, with symptoms of neck and shoulder pain, difficulty in daily activities, and frequent illness. This time Son went to the doctor, the doctor noted that his left shoulder was almost 5 cm higher than his right shoulder, his chest was deformed, his spine was curved in an S shape, most severe in the chest, and his pelvis was crooked.

X-ray image of Thu's thoracic vertebrae is severely deformed, and cannot be treated to restore its original shape. Photo: Provided by the doctor

Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine is abnormally curved, the curve can be forward or backward (kyphosis), or sideways (curvature of the spine), depending on the cause of the disease in each person. The disease is common in people under 18 years old, in which the 4-10 year old group is most affected. 80-85% of scoliosis cases have unknown causes, some are congenital, or have other diseases related to the nerves and muscles.

Many cases of scoliosis are caused by sitting in the wrong position for a long time or carrying a bag that is too heavy. When a child has an incorrect body position, the chest gradually narrows to become flat, the shoulder blades angle away from the spine and begin to protrude, the back is hunched, and the belly bulges forward.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son, Head of the Department of Spinal Surgery, Viet Duc Hospital, said that many families are subjective and do not pay attention to their children's condition to treat it early, leading to unfortunate consequences. Like a girl from Thai Nguyen, in 2020, she was 8 years old, had a scoliosis of about 40 degrees, the provincial hospital doctor prescribed rehabilitation exercises with a brace, then due to the Covid pandemic, the plan was interrupted. In May 2022, the examination results at Viet Duc Hospital showed that the girl had a scoliosis of 68 degrees, could not stand straight, the left shoulder was lower than the right shoulder, and her back was hunched when bending over, and she had to be hospitalized for surgery.

"If children are not detected early and treated promptly before the age of 10, in the long term, their spine will be severely deformed, seriously affecting the development of other internal organs, and they may suffer respiratory failure, paralysis, and death," said Dr. Son.

Sharing the same opinion, Dr. Calvin Q Trinh said that this is a dangerous malformation because it often appears during the important development stage of children, before puberty. At this time, one side of the vertebra is compressed and bears the force that does not develop compared to the other side, leading to deformation of the vertebrae, spine, chest, and even changes in body shape and gait.

Children with scoliosis that is not treated can easily lead to severe progression, lifelong disability, physical decline, psychological inferiority complex, and depression.

A Chinese student wearing a posture brace. Photo: Global Times

For treatment, doctors apply physical therapy to restore function. If the disease is severe and the vertebrae are deformed, they cannot return to their original shape. At this time, the surgeon will perform bone fusion surgery, fusing the vertebrae together by placing corrective instruments to keep the spine straight and heal the bones. However, complications from scoliosis surgery are quite severe, such as bleeding, infection, damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots leading to paralysis of the lower limbs, and failure to heal the bones and prosthetic joints.

Doctors recommend that braces do not help cure scoliosis, but only partially prevent it from getting worse. This brace must be worn day and night while the child is still growing and has mild scoliosis. When the child shows abnormal signs such as not being able to stand straight, having low or high shoulders, or having a bulging back when bending over, they should be taken to the hospital for early treatment to avoid unfortunate consequences.

Minh An - Nhu Ngoc

*Character names have been changed

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