AT THE END OF MY SON’S ANNUAL CHECKUP LAST YEAR, the pediatrician called me back into the exam room, where my 15-year-old had his shirt off and his back to me. He’d asked my son to bend toward the floor, his spine standing out in a knobby ridge. “See that?” the doctor asked. I did: My son’s back was askew, the ribs slightly higher on the right side than on the left. I didn’t have to ask what it meant. I remember taking—and failing—the same test myself, decades ago.
Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine in a C or S shape, runs in my family. The condition affects 2% to 3% of the population around the world. Usually appearing around puberty, it’s much more likely to become severe for girls than for boys. (In this article, I use the term scoliosis as shorthand for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, or AIS, by far the most common form of the condition.) Doctors don’t know exactly what causes AIS. There’s often a genetic component, but how it gets passed down is unpredictable. It can skip generations, and it might affect one child in a family but none of her siblings.
Tens of thousands of children and teenagers will be diagnosed with scoliosis this year in the US alone. When the curvature is mild, in most cases it won’t worsen significantly and no treatment is required, only observation. If it’s more pronounced, doctors usually prescribe a back brace to stop the curve from progressing. Severe scoliosis left untreated leads to an off-kilter spine and ribs that squeeze the lungs, often resulting in chronic pain and restricted breathing. When a back brace doesn’t work, the next step is surgery.
Esta historia es de la edición May 23, 2022 de Bloomberg Businessweek.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 23, 2022 de Bloomberg Businessweek.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts
Running in Circles
A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking
The Last-Mover Problem
A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps
Tick Tock, TikTok
The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment
New Money, New Problems
In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers