HEALTH & WELLNESS
BACK-TO-SCHOOL HEALTH CHECKS
A Life-Changing Discovery
F
or competitive swimmer Katie Lyons, a love for the sport
began at 7 months old when her toes touched the pool’s
water for the first time.
At age 4, she swam in her first meet. Weeks before she
turned 10, her coach observed a rib cage protrusion that
looked similar to another teammate who had been diagnosed with
scoliosis during routine stretching exercises in practice, and contacted
her parents. The next day, her pediatrician confirmed the life-changing
discovery: She had scoliosis.
Within a week of being diagnosed, Lyons traveled to Shriners
Hospitals for Children - Greenville, where she began treatment for an
“S” curvature of her spine and was given a 98 percent chance of needing
surgery. She was fitted for a brace, which she wore 20 hours a day and
only took it off for swim practice and bathing. Now on her fourth brace,
she has been removed from the surgical list and hopes to continue to
avoid surgery as she goes through her adolescent growth spurts, which
for many scoliosis patients, can send their curves into fast-forward.
Early detection gave Lyons a wider range of options for the
treatment of her scoliosis. The strength of her core and daily stretching
from swimming has helped manage and lower her double curves.
App Helps Parents Detect Signs of Scoliosis
You can also check your child’s spine for scoliosis with the help of your
smartphone through the SpineScreen app – available for free in the
iTunes and Google Play stores. For more information
on the app and the importance of routine screening,
visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/scoliosis.
To be used as an initial at-home check, the app
can detect abnormal curves when the phone is
moved along a child’s spine, and determine if a
follow-up visit with a doctor is necessary to confirm
a potential diagnosis. If your child has scoliosis or
any other orthopedic condition, Shriners Hospitals
for Children has 20 locations in the United States,
Mexico and Canada that provide expert care.
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