Scoliosis Testing: What You Need to Know

Scoliosis, or problematic curvature of the spine, occurs primarily in middle school aged children when they’re hitting key growth spurts. To make sure their spines are properly aligned, local schools provide testing in seventh and eighth grades.

Georgia requires that students be tested twice from sixth to eighth grades, according to the Georgia Association of School Nurses' website. 

Each test will take about three minutes and will require students to show the nurse their unclothed back.

Both girls and boys are asked to remove their shirts, but girls can wear a two-piece swimsuit top or a bra.

At a nurse will be performing the scoliosis testing. has not set an official date for the testing, but will hold seventh and eighth grade testing in early fall. 

The nurse will look at the student to see if their clavicles and hips are level. Then, the students are asked to turn around while the nurse looks at the curve of the spine using a scoliometer—a testing device that works something like a level.

If the nurse suspects an abnormal spine, they send a letter home to the parents requesting that they see their doctor. 

Most of the time the doctor will simply watch the spine as the child grows.  Occasionally a child may have to wear a brace, but rarely will he or she will surgery.

Often students are nervous about the test—particularly the girls—because they must remove their shirts. However, all of the testing is done in a private area.

Georgia Association of School Nurse standards require that "the student's privacy is maintained—utilizing boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, shower areas, screens, etc."

While both adolescent boys and girls are at risk for spinal curvature, girls are more likely to develop problems that require treatment, according to the Children's Hospital of Atlanta website. 

If a student refuses to take the test they must see their physician and provide a note stating that they have been tested.