Scoliosis is most often seen in school age children and mostly girls

Cyprus International University (CIU) Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Chair, Assist. Prof. Dr. Özge Özalp, speaking within the scope of “Scoliosis Awareness Month”, stated that the causes for 80% of the scoliosis cases are unknown, and that it is a disease that is mostly seen in children of school ages and among girls.

Advising that the month of June carries importance in terms of raising awareness among the society in relation to scoliosis, Özalp went on to say, "It is for this reason that each individual needs to live with the principle of ‘take care of your spine and pay attention to your posture’, and be informed in relation to how they can maintain a daily healthy posture habit. Standing up straight is important in terms of establishing a heathy posture habit.

Especially providing advice to parents, Assist. Prof. Dr. Özalp reminded that parents of children of school ag, could look out for scoliosis and whether there are any signs of hunchback, by basically checking the spinal cord, waist-shoulder levels, and observing the spine at any point, when the child is bending forward.

Informing that scoliosis can develop in connection to many reasons, Özalp explained that it is a 3-dimensional spinal deformity that can occur in various age groups. Explaining that the commonality of scoliosis varies between 0.2% and 6%, Özalp advised that it is mostly seen among children in the developmental age.

Elaborating that individuals with a healthy spine have equal level shoulders, shoulder blades, and hip levels, and that their spines move in a straight line, Özalp went on to state, “Individuals with scoliosis have unequal shoulder levels, with their vertebrae positioned more to one side, and when they are bending forward with their knees straight, there is hunching on one side of the spine.

Drawing attention to the fact that during the early stages, scoliosis does not have any symptoms except for small cosmetic condition situations, Özalp noted that as the angle progresses, symptoms such as back pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue may occur with movement, due to scoliosis affecting the expansion of the lungs.