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To the Editor: The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) agrees with the findings of the recent article by Dr Yawn and colleagues1 on school-based scoliosis screening as they relate to severe idiopathic scoliosis. However, the ACA believes continued screening is important for school-aged children for a number of reasons.
While medical doctors often look only for genetic malformations in children, doctors of chiropractic also screen for dysfunctional joints to which the dynamic musculoskeleton—particularly the spine—must compensate.
The alarming increase in spinal problems, such as low back pain, in adolescents2 points to the need for continued screening. Screening by a doctor of chiropractic can help determine some of these risk factors, such as poor flexibility and poor posture. In addition, a doctor of chiropractic can provide educational counseling to children on proper spinal health and correct posture.
The adult epidemic of low back pain and joint disorders is another reason to support continued scoliosis screening. Scoliosis screening may lead to diagnosis and treatment early in life before the conditions become only maintainable rather than resolvable.
Screening for scoliosis not only could prevent chronic low back pain and joint disorders, but also could reduce the $50 billion the nation's economy loses to these disorders every year in lost wages and productivity.3
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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