Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine. It's a condition that affects roughly two to three percent of the world’s population. That includes News 8's meterologist Maureen McCann.

She recently caught up with a local spine surgeon for a closer look at Scoliosis and to stress the importance of early detection.

“Most children are diagnosed with scoliosis around the ages of 10-14, right before they hit their adolescent growth spurt,” Spine Austin’s spokesperson, Dr. Jason Lowenstein, said.

In Texas, children get screened for scoliosis at school in both sixth and ninth grade. They’re checked by their school nurses or at a school facility to make sure they don’t have asymmetry or an obvious curvature of the spine.

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“There’s more sophisticated ways to screen using a scoliometer which is basically a level to try to see if there’s a rotational deformity in their back," Lowenstein said. "when you lean forward and have an Adams Forward Bending Test, and if there’s any sign of asymmetry or any concern by the screener, then they’re either sent to their pediatrician or spine specialist like myself to get evaluated and see if they possibly have a spinal deformity.”

If the professionals notice a problem, they have a variety of options for treating the deformity.

“If it’s a small spinal deformity, what we usually do is observe it. So we’ll have the patient come back in six months or a year and get new x-rays to make sure that their curve isn’t progressing. If there’s an obvious large curve, of a certain magnitude, we consider doing bracing right when we meet them,” Lowenstein said.

In some cases, if the scoliosis is severe, the affected might have to undergo surgery.

For more information you can log onto the National Scoliosis Foundation’s website at scoliosis.org. You can also check out spineaustin.com.