October 5, 2006
Medical City Children’s Hospital Hosts Region 10 School Nurses on Oct. 21
Educational seminar focuses on screening, referring and managing children with scoliosis; Features world-renowned scoliosis surgeon Alexis P. Shelokov, M.D.

School nurses are often on the frontlines when it comes to identifying cases of scoliosis, but medical information and treatments for the common spine disorder are constantly improving.

In an effort to keep school nurses abreast of the latest discoveries, Medical City Children’s Hospital is offering “Where’s Scoliosis in the 21st Century?” a program to share medical experts’ knowledge of screening, referring and managing children with scoliosis. The class will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 21, at Medical City and features Alexis P. Shelokov, M.D., who is a world-renowned scoliosis surgeon and director of Medical City Children’s Hospital’s new Scoliosis Center. Other presenters include orthopedic spine surgeon Richard A. Hostin, M.D., expert nurses and patients. Dr. Hostin is a member of Consulting Orthopedists, a medical practice based in Dallas that focuses solely on the treatment of pediatric and adult patients with scoliosis.

“Scoliosis is a condition that needs to be monitored and treated throughout a person’s life,” Shelokov said. “School nurses play a strong role to ensure children start getting the treatment they need as soon as possible.”

Scoliosis, curvature of the spine, affects 12 million people worldwide. The majority of affected individuals have few problems, but a small percentage of individuals with progressive curvature may have severe problems. In untreated cases, progressive disfiguring curves may develop. The result in severe cases may be increasing difficulty with exercise tolerance, pain and breathing. This pain may be debilitating.

The most prevalent form of scoliosis, idiopathic, may be found in children of any age, but is most commonly found in those between 10 to 18 years old, according to the National Scoliosis Foundation. The risk of curvature progression increases during puberty, when the body grows the fastest. Scoliosis with significant curvature of the spine has an equal incidence in girls and boys, however girls are 6 to 7 times more likely to progress than their male counterparts.

“School nurses often screen children for scoliosis in the fifth through ninth grades,” Shelokov said. “The information provided at our seminar allows these nurses to better understand what students with scoliosis are going through and how to provide them with the best possible support.”

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