“In practice, we see more and more low back and neck complaints in children that could have been prevented,” says chiropractor Tanja Valk-Mulder from her practice in Waalwijk, which specializes in child treatment. The same applies to physical complaints in scoliosis that can be effectively treated by a chiropractor. This increase is exacerbated because the annual back screenings by doctors in schools have been stopped since 2015, as a result of which these types of complaints are often not or insufficiently noticed. The number of scoliosis in children and associated surgeries are still increasing, a situation that will put even more pressure on healthcare in the long term.
Influence on physical and mental development
A scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that can cause one or two curves. In severe cases, the bends can develop to the point where a major intervention such as surgery is required to prevent further damage to the lungs and other organs.
A child with scoliosis often has to deal with various complaints such as muscle and joint pain. There are also psychological complaints that can occur such as depression or anxiety disorders. The physical manifestations of scoliosis usually appear during puberty, a crucial period for the social development of children and teenagers.
Te late diagnose
Unfortunately, that diagnosis is often made too late these days. Until 2015, children at school were screened annually for scoliosis by doctors and the “bend test” was performed, among other things.
Although research by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has shown that scoliosis can be detected early through the screenings, they have been abolished since 2015 for various reasons. Firstly, there is no preventive treatment for scoliosis, says the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), and youth doctors have therefore decided to stop back screenings at school. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport adds that the screening method is also not reliable enough. The bend test would produce a lot of false positive results, which would entail unnecessary worries and costs.
Back Pain Day!
Many parties argue for the reintroduction of screening, including specialist doctors and the Association of Scoliosis Patients. Early detection of scoliosis in children is important because the scoliosis does not go away on its own and can increase with growth.
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