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COCSA Adopts Scoliosis Awareness Program

The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) today announced that it has adopted the Scoliosis Awareness Program produced and provided by the non-profit Scoliosis Care Foundation, as its newly launched national outreach project. COCSA's board of directors voted to join forces with the Scoliosis Care Foundation in offering all chiropractic state associations access to educational materials from Scoliosis Care Foundation that have the potential to make a positive impact on the way scoliosis is treated in the United States.

COCSA News

WICHITA, KS – The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) today announced that it has adopted the Scoliosis Awareness Program produced and provided by the non-profit Scoliosis Care Foundation, as its newly launched national outreach project. COCSA’s board of directors voted to join forces with the Scoliosis Care Foundation in offering all chiropractic state associations access to educational materials from Scoliosis Care Foundation that have the potential to make a positive impact on the way scoliosis is treated in the United States.

Scoliosis - Spinal XrayThe mission of the non-profit Scoliosis Care Foundation is to increase awareness of the need for better detection programs and non-surgical interventions in caring for children and adults who have Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Dr. Gary Deutchman, the Foundation’s director and founder, believes that scoliosis is often being mismanaged by the current healthcare system. According to the Scoliosis Care Foundation, Idiopathic Scoliosis curvatures that might be detected early on in the condition are being missed by school systems that rely solely on the Adams test, which often is only performed once in a child’s life. In the event a curvature is detected, orthopedic surgeons offer few options. Marc Lamantia D.C., DACNB, Science Advisor at the Scoliosis Care Foundation, reported to COCSA’s board of directors that, “Most children diagnosed with scoliosis do not have any pain and will only exhibit minor postural changes in the early stages of the progression. This makes better screening procedures essential to early detection.” Further, he added, only 26 states currently mandate scoliosis screening in the public schools. This leaves literally millions of children without adequate screening.

Dr. Jeffrey Fedorko, COCSA President, sees a controversy around the currently accepted screening practices, because the Adams test, which is considered the gold standard of school screening, creates many false negatives and false positives. In many cases, this has led states to abandon school screening programs for scoliosis, effectively abandoning any chance of early intervention for those children who might otherwise have been identified in early stages of the disease. “Even in states that implement a school screening program, if it is done infrequently, the curvature may present itself either before or after a scheduled screening, thereby leaving the curvature undetected as it continues to worsen,” Dr. Fedorko observed. “COSCA sees this is as a great opportunity for the Chiropractic profession to partner with a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the well being of our children, and, together, to educate parents on the sometimes minor postural changes that could indicate a possible development of scoliosis,” Dr. Fedorko said.

The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, formed in the late 1960’s, is a not-for-profit organization consisting of state chiropractic associations. The mission of the Congress is to provide an open, nonpartisan forum for the promotion and advancement of the chiropractic profession through service to member state associations.

The Scoliosis Care Foundation has provided at no charge an Adobe Acrobat file format presentation to all chiropractic state associations to distribute to their members. The slide presentation is designed for the chiropractor to present to the parents in his or her own community. The presentation will help teach parents how to become better observers of their child’s posture. For more information, visit the Scoliosis Care Foundation website at www.scoliosiscare.org or call the Foundation at 800-391-8837.

planetc1.com-news @ 7:56 pm | Article ID: 1235706994

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