HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Treating scoliosis in children
Te whakarauora i te matenga kÅpikotanga iwituararo
Scoliosis doesn't usually get better without treatment. But if it's mild, it usually will not need treatment.
Surgery helps to straighten the spine of a tamaiti (child), but it also makes it stiff. This is why doctors do not usually operate on tamariki (children) with mild scoliosis.
When deciding if your tamaiti needs treatment, your doctor will consider where the curve in their spine is, how bad it is, the age of the tamaiti and how many years of growing they have left. Once they're fully grown it's unlikely the curve will get much worse.
If your tamaiti has mild scoliosis, your doctor is likely to keep monitoring them and may refer them for physiotherapy. By strengthening their back muscles and improving their posture, physiotherapy can sometimes help if poor posture is adding to their discomfort. If your doctor thinks physiotherapy may help your tamaiti, it's best to start as soon as possible.
For some tamariki, wearing a brace is recommended to help correct their spine. They’ll need to wear this for 23 hours a day.
Surgery for scoliosis in children
If the scoliosis your tamaiti has is more severe, your GP may refer them to an orthopaedic surgeon. For curves that are very noticeable or if there is a risk the curve will start affecting the way your child's lungs work, the surgeon is likely to recommend an operation called a spinal fusion.
Spinal fusion straightens the curve out and fuses the affected spinal bones (vertebrae) together using metal rods that are held in place with screws and bone grafts. As the bone grafts heal, the affected vertebrae fuse into a single, solid bone and stop growing.
Sometimes a tamaiti who still has a lot of growing to do will have rods inserted that do not cause fusion. The rods may need to be changed as the tamaiti grows.
When to have your child checked again
You should go back to your GP if:
- you notice the curve is getting worse
- there is an obvious hump over the ribs on one side of their back
- your tamaiti has pain, weak muscles, pins and needles or numbness in their arms or legs
- you notice that their shoulders are uneven.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Scoliosis Research Society – Scoliosis
This section includes information about scoliosis, including diagnosis, treatment and how to get on with your life if you have scoliosis.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed June 2022.
SourcesReview key: HISCO-381984
