What Is a Scoliosis Screening?

More than 80 percent of all cases of scoliosis begin to develop during the rapid growth that occurs in a child's adolescent years. To facilitate early detection, most U.S. school districts hold annual scoliosis screenings for children in this age group.

Getting Ready

• Children are asked to avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing. Boys and girls are generally examined in separate areas for privacy, but all will remain fully clothed.

Adam's Forward Bend Test

• The child simply bends at the waist, allowing the upper body to fall comfortably forward, rag-doll fashion. The examiner visually observes whether both sides of the back appear equal in height and angle.

Upright Test (optional)

• The child faces forward and stands erect, feet together, arms at the sides. The examiner looks for symmetry of waistline, shoulder height and hip height.

Identification

• If the examiner believes a child may have some asymmetry, an explanatory note is sent home to parents along with a form for the doctor to sign and send back to school with the student.

Results

• Due to a combination of false positives and curves that are small enough to warrant only continued observation, 75 percent of all screening referrals will not require treatment. Those that do require treatment are often discovered early enough to avoid future corrective surgery.