Schools are reopening and kids will be picking up their overloaded bags. Before the pandemic, the issue of heavy school bags was widely discussed, with a focus on a commonly associated health problem, namely scoliosis, a spinal deformity often diagnosed in children and adolescents.

For many years, there was a misconception that heavy school bags can permanently deform the spine, i.e. cause scoliosis. However, newer medical studies have proven that there is no connection between the occurrence of scoliosis and the use of a heavy school bag and that it cannot structurally alter a child’s developing spine in any way.

“While heavy school bags do not cause scoliosis, using them incorrectly or using them for long periods of time can cause other spinal problems such as back pain, poor posture and fatigue. It has been proven that adolescents suffering from chronic back pain are likely to have the same problems as adults,” notes Mr. Marios Liquissas, MD, Director of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at the Metropolitan Hospital, Associate Professor of Orthopedics and senior clinical assistant. at Weill Cornell University, New York.

So what causes scoliosis?

Scoliosis can occur in people with neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, and in children with syndromes such as neurofibromatosis. But in most cases, scoliosis is idiopathic, meaning there is no known underlying cause. However, there are some risk factors that have been identified such as:
Age: In most cases, we are talking about adolescents close to the phase of rapid skeletal growth (adolescent idiopathic scoliosis).
Floor: Girls have a higher risk of developing scoliosis than boys
Family history: Idiopathic scoliosis is inherited with varying degrees of penetrance from generation to generation.

The role of the guardian

In most cases, scoliosis is mild. But some curves get worse as children get older, and severe scoliosis can lead to disability. Scoliosis can worsen very quickly during adolescence because the child grows rapidly during this period of life.

In the mildest cases, changes in the child’s back are difficult to notice. Therefore, it is important for parents to check their children regularly. The sooner scoliosis is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chance of preventing serious problems in the future.

“A parent of a child or teenager may suspect scoliosis when one shoulder or shoulder blade is higher than the other, or the pelvis is tilted. Note the distortion at the back, which is usually in the shape of an “S” or “C”.

For children and adolescents with mild scoliosis, recent findings and developments in synthetic material technology have resulted in lighter and more “stylish” braces that are easier to accept and wear by the child. Unfortunately, to date, the role of the caretaker is usually limited to stopping the deterioration of the curve. Its use should reach or exceed 18 hours a day, ”the doctor explains.

For children and adolescents, surgical treatment of scoliosis is recommended for curvature exceeding 45 degrees. If left untreated, deformities of this size will continue to worsen into adulthood, leading to chronic pain, respiratory dysfunction, and the psychosocial consequences of the deformity, especially for girls. Unfortunately, when the scoliosis exceeds 45 degrees, the brace is no longer effective in preventing the deformity from worsening.

Surgery

For the past 6 years, the Spine Clinic of the Capital Hospital has been using the surgical navigation system O-arm Navigation, which allows the surgeon to control the placement of his implants in real time with the accuracy of a CT scanner. This system can provide 100% accuracy in locating sensitive nerve elements to protect them during surgery. This precision negates the possibility of medical error and irreversible neurological damage.

The combination of Excelsius GPS robotic system and O-arm Navigation is available exclusively for Greece at the Capital Hospital. Nowadays, their use has become a daily routine, offering excellent aesthetic and functional results to patients of all ages with scoliosis.

“The robotic system impresses with the ease and accuracy of implant placement, as well as the reduced chance of neurological damage. No less impressive is the correction of scoliosis or kyphosis. According to the study of our center, in patients operated on by us over the past 2 years, on average, deformity correction exceeds 90% in relation to its initial degree, while in many patients we have reached 100%. The speed of scoliosis correction worldwide is considered to be very high and is directly related to the placement of the most appropriate implants using robotics and navigation,” says Mr. Likissas.

Compared to traditional surgical methods for treating scoliosis, the robotic system:

• Minimizes the possibility of neurological damage
• Provides absolute precision in implant placement.
• Provides the best possible correction of scoliosis
• Significantly reduces surgical time, blood loss and hospital stay
• This minimizes the possibility of a new operation in the future.

“The advantages of robotic surgery over traditional techniques make clear the superiority of robotic surgery both in terms of safety for the scoliosis patient and in achieving an ideal result from an aesthetic and functional point of view,” concludes Mr. Likissas.

Source: RES-EMI