'Scoliosis can be completely cured if detected early'

Scoliosis is a fairly common disease today, can be completely cured without complications when detected and treated early.

The information was shared by Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Ngoc Son, Deputy Director of the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Viet Duc Hospital, on the sidelines of the Annual Scientific Conference of the Vietnam Orthopedic Association , October 20-21 in Hanoi. This is an opportunity for experts and doctors to exchange and learn experiences to contribute to improving their professional qualifications.

Scoliosis is quite common, affecting about 0.5-1% of children. In 80% of cases, the cause is unknown. The rest may be due to infection, trauma, sitting in the wrong position, or having spinal deformities from the womb (congenital).

If not treated promptly, especially with early onset scoliosis (before the age of 10), in the long term it will cause severe spinal deformity. At the same time, it seriously affects the development of other internal organs such as the lungs and rib cage, causing hypoplasia of the rib cage, alveoli, respiratory failure, threatening health and life. Less seriously, the disease affects aesthetics, makes the patient self-conscious, and affects psychological development.

"Early detection of scoliosis and timely treatment will help prevent and minimize the serious complications mentioned above," Dr. Son recommends.

Doctors at Viet Duc Hospital demonstrate an orthopedic surgery case on October 20. Photo: Kim Onah — Doctors at Viet Duc Hospital demonstrate an orthopedic surgery case on October 20. Photo: *Kim Onah*

Early detection of scoliosis in children is not too difficult, especially when children can sit and walk. Adults only need to observe carefully when children stand, especially when bathing and cleaning them. There are many ways to detect scoliosis in children such as: Children standing, looking from behind, observing whether the 2 shoulders are balanced or not. If the shoulders are high or low, it is abnormal. Observe whether the body is straight or not, has an S-shape, C-shape; are the hips, 2 arms, 2 legs (when walking) misaligned or not.

According to Dr. Son, although the signs are quite obvious, many children discover the disease late and have complications. There is even a 16-year-old patient with a scoliosis angle of up to 120 degrees, affecting respiratory function and causing lung ventilation disorders.

For adults with scoliosis, the bones will be corrected and welded so that the scoliosis does not develop further. However, in children, if the bones are fixed, it will seriously affect the overall development of the spine, causing developmental abnormalities. Children's bones grow quickly, so regular check-ups and monitoring every 6 months are very important.

Children who are detected early and have mild symptoms can receive conservative treatment such as changing sitting positions, actively exercising, hanging on bars, playing sports, wearing orthopedic shirts, and practicing rehabilitation.

More seriously, if surgery is required (usually for children 4 years old and up), Viet Duc Hospital uses a growth brace system to help control the disease from getting worse, improve curvature, and the child can still reach normal height.

Associate Professor Nguyen Manh Khanh, President of the Vietnam Orthopedic Trauma Association, spoke at the conference. Photo: Le Nga — Associate Professor Nguyen Manh Khanh, President of the Vietnam Orthopedic Trauma Association, spoke at the conference. Photo: *Le Nga*

At the conference, Associate Professor Nguyen Manh Khanh, Deputy Director of Viet Duc Hospital, Chairman of the Vietnam Orthopedic Trauma Association, also acknowledged that in addition to musculoskeletal injuries caused by accidents, degenerative diseases related to metabolism such as increased uric acid have increased compared to before. Increased uric acid will cause blood to settle in the tendon, muscle, and joint systems...

As disease patterns change, the need for diagnosis and treatment for patients must also evolve to respond. Viet Duc Hospital uses many modern machines and equipment, applying AI in early detection of bone and joint damage. In treatment, a robotic and positioning system is used, helping surgery to be highly accurate.

In addition, other techniques such as minimally invasive surgery, endoscopy (joint, spine), bone fusion, and nail fixation do not take much time. Spinal surgery patients no longer have to make large incisions as before, which helps reduce pain, reduce costs, and speed recovery.

Le Nga

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