Do you say something?

Twice over the past week I've met parents of younger babies (one 2 weeks old and one 5 or so months). Both babies had twisted necks (torticollis) and the older one had developed a flat head (plagiocephaly) as a result. The mother of the two week old said her baby always looked to the left.

Those were both indicators that the specialists found interesting when diagnosing J. They don't mean those babies have got scoliosis - there are other reasons why children have those two things.

However, I wish someone had said that they could mean I should keep an eye out for other things for example scoliosis. I sought osteopathic treatment for J's neck but part of me wondered whether perhaps I was being a typical first-time parent (ie overreacting) and should just relax as it's normal for babies to straighten out.

Given the HUGE waiting list, the progressive nature of scoliosis in 15 % of cases and the fact that the treatment for infantile scoliosis is basically designed to harness their rapid growth at this age (so if you seek treatment later the angles may have got worse and you've missed that window of opportunity) I would much prefer to have been given a heads-up early on.

So I decided to mention J's condition to both parents. And lo and behold, the mother of the 5 month old said that there were two cases of scoliosis in her family (an uncle and an aunt)! She didn't seem to have connected this fact with her child, even though some forms are genetic. So I said that it's at least worth keeping an eye on and maybe mentioning to the doctor if she does think there is anything different about her baby's spine.

I don't want to scare people. And I'm certainly not medically trained in any way. But I have decided it's worth mentioning and that it's how you tell people that's important: I can explain J's condition and treatment and what indicators made me aware of it. They can mention it to the doctor if they wish. At least they'll know what scoliosis is (I'd never even heard of it)!