Scoliosis Screening Expert - Not Me

The physical education teacher, "coach," at my school has been very ill for the past two months, so the classes have had various substitutes for all that time. When it came time for the scoliosis screening, which the coach usually does for the boys and the swimming instructor does for the girls, there was no one to screen the boys. So, the assistant principle asked me to do the job. After all, I am the library media teacher, the LIBRARIAN, I can do everything faster than a speeding bullet, leaping over tall buildings ... , and I know everything. (What I don't know I make up, er, I mean I use my extensive research skills to find out.)

As I posted earlier, my grandson has severe scoliosis and has had surgery to place rods in his back. I also have mild scoliosis that did not develop until I was in my 50s.

This is an x-ray of my grandson's back straightening rods.

So, I said yes and had a five minute training session with the district nurse and watched a three minute video on how to do the screening. I am now an expert scoliosis screener. What I really needed to see were examples and non examples of the spine problems I am supposed to be able to see.

The first screening was this morning during four P.E. classes for seventh and eighth grade students who had returned the parent permission paper which explained the state law and the screening process. After the first two classes of looking at spines, I was beginning to doubt my powers of observation, because I didn't see any spine that didn't look straight and proper. The girls' screener told me during the class change that she had fifteen on her referral list for the district nurse. Wow, I had none. But during the next class, three boys had shoulder blades that were not in alignment, and I could see there was some type of problem without second guessing myself. Another three questionable spines presented themselves during the last class, so I referred six seventh grade boys for further screening by the real experts. I hope I didn't miss any eighth graders. Seventh graders will be screened again next year.