A doctor may test a young person for scoliosis during a routine physical examination. In schools, screening may be provided annually for students between the ages of 10 and 14 (grades 5 through 9), but this is uncommon in Canada. The examination takes about 30 seconds and may be performed by a school nurse or physical education teacher.

• The examiner first views the child from behind, looking for uneven shoulders, hips, or waistline or for shoulder blades that stick out or are uneven.
• The child then bends forward from the waist, with the arms hanging down loosely and the palms touching (forward-bending test). The examiner looks for any unevenness, such as one side of the rib cage that is higher than the other. The examiner may also view the child from the side to detect a hump on the upper back (kyphosis).
• Also, the examiner may measure the angle of trunk rotation (ATR) with a device called a scoliometer.

Screening for scoliosis is recommended by some major health organizations, such as the Scoliosis Research Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics.¹ But the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination does not recommend routine screening for idiopathic scoliosis in teens.² Idiopathic scoliosis means that the spinal curve develops for unknown reasons. This is the most common type of scoliosis and usually is first noticed in childhood.

In Canada, most provinces do not provide scoliosis screening programs in schools.

For more information, see the topic Scoliosis.