Identify twisted spine

According to Dr. Tran Thi Thu Huong, Head of the Department of Physiotherapy, Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, children in school are prone to scoliosis. 70% could not find the cause. 30% due to congenital, sitting posture or some neurological diseases such as cerebellar nuclear hernia, sequelae of polio, cerebral palsy in children . causes muscles to contract and spine to be deflected to one side.

There are three types of scoliosis: Tilting to the right or to the left (also called crooked in C or C inverted), curved in an S shape.

In the case of a C-shaped spine, the deviation of the shoulders, chest, hips and arms is visible. S-shaped if mild, it is not easy to detect with the naked eye but X-rays.

Doctor Huong explained, the C-shaped scoliosis is more dangerous because of an imbalance in the muscles, shoulders and hips. S-shaped curvature if severe will cause spinal rotation, affect respiratory function, muscle spasms on both sides, spinal column irregularity. Scoliosis is usually worse with age.

Check the spine for early detection of curvature.

Dr. Huong said, scoliosis often has symptoms such as tilting one shoulder, ribs protruding, shoulder blades protruding, inclined waist, curve more pronounced when leaning forward. If the angle of the scoliosis is below 20 degrees, the doctor will appoint a patient to exercise, doing exercises to correct the spine. The angle of curvature is from 20 to 40 degrees, the patient must wear a 24-hour orthopedic brace, and must exercise the orthopedic exercises for the straight spine such as hanging the rafters and swings to strengthen the muscles. A sharp angle of over 40 degrees must be corrected.

"No timely treatment can lead to continuous back pain, spondylitis, shortness of breath when the chest is compressed, heart and lung damage due to chest defects, pneumonia, bone loss and osteoporosis" , Dr. Huong warns.

Dr. Huong advised, people need periodic health checks to detect and intervene early, reducing the impact on later functions. For prevention, do not sit for a long time, sit in a balanced position. Do not wear heavy objects on one side of the body because of the risk of scoliosis, but should be balanced between the two sides of the body. Eat adequate protein, vitamins to strengthen resistance, drink milk calcium supplements.