Medical City Healthcare | Take Care | Fall 2018

Your 11-year-old daughter puts on her swimsuit and you see it: Her shoulders, waist and hips look uneven. It might be just a preteen pose with attitude—or it could be something more serious. These may be signs of scoliosis, a spine problem that affects about 2 percent of people in the United States. Marranda’s story When Marranda Wilson was 9 years old, her father noticed that her ribs were protruding on her left side. They looked misshapen, and Marranda was in pain. Her back and ribs hurt. Marranda’s primary care physician referred her to Richard Hostin, MD, a spine surgeon at Medical City Dallas. After an X-ray and checkup, she was diagnosed with scoliosis. Spine out of line The word scoliosis comes from the Greek word for crooked- ness, which is an apt description of a scoliotic spine. All spines have slight natural curves from front to back. But scoliosis causes the spine to curve from side to side in an “S” or “C” shape. Other signs include jutting shoulder blades or leaning to one side. In most cases, scoliosis has no clear cause, but it can run in families and is more common in girls than in boys. Although scoliosis usually develops before puberty, people of any age can have it. At first it may be painless, but over time scoliosis can lead to severe back pain, deformity and trouble breathing. Two inches taller Marranda wore a scoliosis brace for one year to hold her curve in line until her growth spurt occurred. In spite of the bracing treatment, her spinal curve continued to progress, and at 12, she had scoliosis surgery at Medical City Chil- dren’s Hospital. “Marranda’s surgery was very successful,” said her father. “Her spinal curve is now straight, and it was repaired with no problems.” Six weeks later, Marranda was back to living her normal life, including participating in dance and drill team. “I am happy that I don’t have to worry about scoliosis anymore,” said Marranda. “The nurses were really nice and helped me get better.” Marranda now stands up straight and is two inches taller. She’s happy to comfortably return to her other hobbies of running, photography, and arts and crafts. Additional source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Standing straight and tall Marranda Wilson found help for scoliosis at Medical City Healthcare GETTING YOUR CHILD CHECKED Scoliosis is often hard to detect because of an initial lack of symptoms. You should ask your child’s pediatrician for a screening if your child has signs of scoliosis. Call 972‑566‑7746 to learn more and make an appointment. 9 MedicalCityHealthcare.com