Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that typically resembles an S or a C shape, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH).

This disease affects two to three percent of all people, so this means around six million people in the United States are affected by the disease, according to the National Scoliosis Foundation.  Also, there is currently no way to cure this disease.

“There are many ways to treat Scoliosis depending on what [the patient] wants,” says Chiropractic Scoliosis expert Dr. Timothy Baron of Baron Chiropractic.

Baron also says there are different levels of treatment for scoliosis, depending on how severe the curve is and how the patient wants to go about treating it.  Minor curves (which would be below a 20 degree), can be treated with physical therapy.

“Whether a patient uses chiropractic, physical therapy, or medical approaches is up to them,” says Baron.

There is no proven approach that works better or worse than the other, says Baron.  But if the spinal curvature exceeds 40-60 degrees, a spinal fusion surgery is the only way to return the spine to its original condition.

Teenage girls around the age of 12-14 are the most at risk and should have checks yearly just to be safe.

“[Even though boys have a lower chance of developing scoliosis] everyone entering the teenage years should get checked by a professional every year at least  even if their school does not require it,” says Baron

At Arrowhead High School, students participating in sports are required to have physicals every two years, according to Arrowhead North Campus nurse Paula Nordwig.

“[Arrowhead High School] does not do [scoliosis checks]; however when students enter ninth grade [students] are required to have check-ups with their doctors to to check [for scoliosis],” says Nordwig.

Nordwig also says Arrowhead would rather leave the scoliosis check ups to professionals, unless a parent specifically asks for one of the Arrowhead nurses to do the check.

“I’ve been [at Arrowhead] for 12 years and this has always been how [the nursing staff has] done it,” says Nordwig.

“If every teenager came in [every month] for a scoliosis check, I would not have to send half of my patients to surgical centers for spinal fusion,” says Baron.