Scoliosis screening at school?

[Barb D]

We just got notices that DS13 and DD11 will be screened for scoliosis at school. They both had physicals with their doctors this past summer, and their doctors already screened them for scoliosis. (They have a cousin who has it, so I made a point of asking.) Is there any reason I would want them to be tested at school, too? I can exempt them.

 

[cheerdancer11]

I did that at school too, mines well its free and it can never hurt for them to get it done again. I did it twice- my doctor said i was fine, with only a slight/not noticable problem- while the school nurse said i should get checked out by my home doctor. I'd trust your dd's doctor's opinion.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

we got tested every year at school - the whole class went and we had to bend over and touch our toes in front of the nurse -

to us it was a chance to get out of class - if the whole class is going - why not?

 

[Annette_VA]

Oh, I remember those from middle school!

We thought they were SO traumatic. They were in the gym (gasp!) and you had to take your shirt off or at least lift it up to uncover your back (gasp!). Such an akward age.

 

[RitaZ.]

We just got notices that DS13 and DD11 will be screened for scoliosis at school. They both had physicals with their doctors this past summer, and their doctors already screened them for scoliosis. (They have a cousin who has it, so I made a point of asking.) Is there any reason I would want them to be tested at school, too? I can exempt them.

Yes, you can, I did with my DS. Just like your children, he was screened during his yearly physical and I didn't see a reason to have it done again.

 

[Microcell]

I did it at the end of Elementary, so I think it must be a government thing.

 

[CRB#33]

I never even got a notice.

They just did it.

 

[SplshMtn99]

I had scoliosis as a teen & ended up having surgery to correct it in 1978. I have a metal rod in my back due to it.

What I would have done to have a school nurse check. They weren't checking for it back then. My mom brought me to the dr for an exam, because my cousin also had it & had surgery.

Well, dr missed it. And 6 mths later, it had gotten SO bad, I now needed surgery.

I say have the nurse check it too. Can't hurt!

 

[Barb D]

OK, Splash, you've made up my mind. We'll go ahead and have it done again.

And yes, apparently it is a state mandated thing that the schools do the screening (although parents can exempt their kids.)

 

[SplshMtn99]

I didn't mean to worry you. Obviously, my surgery was done by a DIFFERENT dr than the first bozo. It was done by the head of the scoliosis clinic at RI Hospital.

I don't think the first dr had seen enough cases to know what he was looking for. (I was 13.) He told my parents I had one leg 1/4" shorter than the other. So, I wore a 1/2" lift he prescribed everyday for 6 mths.

In those 6 mths, it went from something like 13 degrees curve to 52 degrees. (Oh, & by the way....my legs REALLY were & are the same length. He screwed up!!)

3 wks later, I was having surgery. Next 6 mths in a body cast. Can you say FUN freshmen yr in high school. NOT!!!!

I guess my point is....that at 13 degrees (even though harder to spot) it could have been treated with exercise. I think 20 to 40 degrees is a brace. Over 40, is surgery.

 

[KarenC]

This thread reminded me of a kinda funny, kinda sad story about my DS. When he was evaluated at school, he didn't quite pass. They called him to the office and gave him a slip of paper that said we should have our pediatrician do further evaluation. DS was devastated. I wasn't quite sure why. Eventually it came out that he didn't want to have what Papa (my dad) had. My dad had MS and was in a wheel chair. For some reason my son thought he had scoliosis. As it turned out, he had neither MS nor scoliosis, but I'll never forget how terrible I felt that he was so worried.

 

[golfgal]

Another thing to think about is even if she had it done in the fall, kids grow and things could change in a few months. It isn't a big deal and if they catch something early you could avoid surgery.

 

[tar heel]

I don't see any reason not to do it since it involves so little.

My dear, wonderful mother-in-law has suffered for decades with the residual effects of scoliosis that was not treated. She has had surgery at least four times, has numbness in one of her legs and is in pretty much constant pain. She walks with a walker or cane. Her last surgery was a new technique at Johns Hopkins that, unfortunately, didn't work for her.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would prefer that the schools leave my daughters medical to me and keep their noses out of it. My daughter goes to the Dr numerous times during the year plus yearly check ups...goes to the eye Dr once a year for exams and the dentist twice a year..I don't need them sticking their noses in telling me when my child needs to go to the Dr. They send a form home that we are supposed to get filled out by the dentist when she goes. It went in the trash...she goes and that is my business, not theirs. Schools really are pushing into home and personal life to much for my liking....they think once your child goes to school they own them!

 

[SplshMtn99]

Sorry to disagree with you. BUT.....if not spotted early enough, a child would have to wear a brace or have surgery.

I'm glad the schools check now. They were NOT checking when I went to school.....and I ended up with an 11" stainless steel rod in my spine.

Even though it ran in the family, no one thought to really look for it quite that early.

Yes, they know better now.

But what about the kid who has that growth spurt over the summer....and isn't going to dr until next yr. It could be TOOOOO late by then to correct any other way than to have the rod installed like mine.

I know my school caught several cases after they started screening. And no-one BUT ME ended up having to need surgery.

Screening WORKS!!!!

 

[cepmom]

I remember having this done in Jr High and high school...I was mortified having to take off my shirt and sit around in just my bra with 50 other girls!(I was a very shy an introverted kid). When my oldest DD came home with a notice about having it done, she was nervous and didn't want to have it done. She had been to the Dr's a couple of months before and she was checked there so I excused her from it. There was no way I was going to push her into having it done if she was going to have anxiety about it, but if she didn't give a hoot, I would have let them check her.

At my younger DD's schools, they have a dentist come once a year for dental screenings. I bring my kids twice a year for cleanings, xrays, flouride treatments, so I always excused them from it. Now my youngest DD has some bad teeth ~ she has sucked her thumb since she was 12 weeks old and she has a double front tooth to boot(already checked by our own dentist) So when she started school I figured I'd let the school's dentist check her out just to see what he'd say about her teeth. The slip came back with nothing noted about her crazy teeth! I don't know what he was looking for but he missed some seriously crooked teeth there!

 

[Twinkles6892]

I hate getting screened for scoliosis! And last year, the nurse weighed us and recorded that in her little book too! I was soooo mad

 

[KristaTX]

Schools really are pushing into home and personal life to much for my liking....they think once your child goes to school they own them!

You should always have the option of not participating in certain screenings, activities, etc. within your child's school - that is part of the beauty of the system. But please remember that not all parents are like you when it comes to monitoring their child's health or even academic needs. And because the schools have no way of knowing which children are or are not receiving medical care, etc., the services are offered to the entire student population.

I am a school nurse. Scoliosis is rare relative to many medical problems, but it is a serious abnormality that can have lifelong consequences. And the population of school children is huge. Even if only a tiny percentage of students are identified as needing to be further evaluated by a physician, it is worth taking the time to screen every child once or twice (before and after puberty) just for the sake of the few who will reap the benefit.

An even better example of how the schools' seeming intrusion actually helps immensely with individuals and society as a whole is vision screening. It is amazing how many children have vision problems that have gone unnoticed by parents or teachers for years. Often it is affecting the child's health, grades, social skills, etc. Many parents just don't have the money (or in some cases, the knowledge or sense ) to consistently observe their child or seek medical care - at least not until an acute problem arises. Dental care is another area where the schools can help those who are less fortunate. I have seen countless children in pain with teeth decayed so badly that there is nothing left but an ugly brown crater on the gum. And for the children of those financially strapped parents, usually the school is able to find help them find some charitable source to help see to the medical needs of the child.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

It can be a good thing, however they can get stupid sometimes....Our daughter has had it since age 5, wore a brace for three years, then finally had to have surgery to try and correct some of her curve at age 8. The school has this info on her record. Most of the school people know it. They screened the kids two years ago, and sent home a note that we HAD to have her seen by her doctor, since she had Scoliosis! Sheesh! I suppose no one ever thought to just check her record.....
Kim

 

[Poohnatic]

I remember doing the screening in 5th and 6th grade. The notice that went home to make sure we came to school wearing a leotard or an undershirt that day.

Screening is a good thing-two of my sisters had slight curvature and exercises helped out.

Suzanne