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June is Scoliosis Awareness Month, and we’re helping families feel more informed, confident, and supported every step of the way—because when families understand scoliosis, they can navigate care with greater confidence and support their child’s journey.
At Gillette Children’s, our approach to scoliosis care is built on more than 125 years of experience caring for kids with complex spine conditions. Two books in our Gillette Children’s Press Healthcare Series help break it all down—from the most common forms of scoliosis to those linked to other medical conditions—so families can better understand what’s happening and what to expect. Across all types, early recognition, thoughtful monitoring, and collaboration between families and care teams are central to achieving the best outcomes.
Idiopathic Scoliosis focuses on the most common form of scoliosis, particularly adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. It walks readers through early detection, including screening and diagnosis, and explains how curves are monitored over time. The book outlines the full continuum of care, from observation and physical therapy to bracing and surgical intervention, placing strong emphasis on decision-making based on curve progression, growth, and patient-specific factors. It also addresses the emotional and developmental impact of scoliosis during adolescence, helping families navigate both clinical care and quality-of-life considerations.
This book describes the process of bracing, from both the medical standpoint and from that of the child (as told by Lila) and parent (as told by Tana).
While bracing has been shown to be an effective treatment method for scoliosis and can prevent the need for surgery, it can also be challenging for the individual and their family. Wearing a brace, especially a full-time brace, is not a simple task.
Lila
There is a lot I would tell someone with a back brace or the parent of a child with a back brace. I suggest telling your teachers about your back brace so they can support any accommodations you may need. For me, I took my brace off during gym class because wearing it limited the activities I could participate in. To make sure I made it to the next class on time, I had to leave gym a few minutes early to have time to put the brace back on. Telling my teachers was also a good idea in case I was having a lot of back pain on a specific day and needed to visit the nurse or send a text message to my mom for any reason.
Tana
Even though Lila did not like the brace and thought it was hot and uncomfortable, she understood the importance of wearing it. But she really looked forward to the 24-hour brace break she was told to take before every doctor appointment- that was a highlight every few months!
Scoliosis: Congenital, Neuromuscular, Syndromic and Other Nonidiopathic Types focuses on the diversity and complexity of nonidiopathic forms of scoliosis These types of scoliosis often arise from underlying conditions such as vertebral malformations, neuromuscular disorders, or genetic syndromes. The book explores how these conditions affect spinal growth and alignment, and it provides detailed insight into specialized management strategies, including growth-friendly surgical techniques and coordinated, multidisciplinary care. Importantly, it emphasizes that these patients often require ongoing support that extends beyond spine care alone.
Untreated nonidiopathic scoliosis may progress, and if severe enough, can negatively affect those who have the condition through childhood and into adulthood. Treatment for nonidiopathic scoliosis focuses on slowing curve progression to keep the curve as small as possible as the child grows. The larger the curve, the treater the likelihood of continued curve progression and for it to have a negative impact on the individual’s health and quality of life.
Alex
For anyone who has to go through scoliosis surgery, I think it’s important to make sure you have something you can enjoy doing that will not be affected at all by the surgery. For me, it was playing video games and online chatting. For others, it might be watching movies, paying with Legos, board games, reading, or other activities. Having a good attitude and keeping a sense of humor are important and helped me face all the challenges I encountered.
For those facing surgery, remember that while things may not seem great now, it will be worth it. I am able to live a normal life, and I know that without surgery that would not be possible. Go into it with the attitude of knowing the other side will be better.
You can read more about scoliosis and the journeys of many patients and families in our scoliosis books, available below:
