Dear Editor,
Earlier this month TVJ's popular morning programme Smile Jamaica had a rather informative interview with a group of visiting United Kingdom-based surgeons. The thoracic surgeons were on the island to do volunteer surgery on some of the many Jamaican children who suffer from scoliosis.
However, as someone who is living with scoliosis, I was very much disappointed that towards the end of the interview the male co-host did the unthinkable. He got up from his chair and walked towards the table at the centre of the set and laid himself on it, and jokingly uttered that he too was suffering from scoliosis.
His female co-host was also very insensitive to what is an extremely important health issue affecting at least one per cent of the world's population. In fact, some 6 million people in the United States of America suffer from this medical condition which sees scores of people constantly in pain.
Scoliosis is the abnormal curving of the spine. While the normal spine has gentle natural curves, scoliosis typically causes deformities of the spinal column and rib cage. In scoliosis, the spine curves from side to side to varying degrees, and some of the spinal bones may rotate slightly, making the hips or shoulders appear uneven, and in some instances the child's head is not centred over his or her body.
Other signs of scoliosis include:
o One shoulder blade sticks out more than the other
o One side of the rib cage appears higher than the other
o One hip appears higher or more prominent than the other
o The waist appears uneven
o The body tilts to one side
o One leg may appear shorter than the other
It should be noted scoliosis is not linked to any physical impairment and the condition can occur in adults, but is more commonly diagnosed for the first time in children aged 10-15 years.
The condition also tends to run in families. Among persons with relatives who have scoliosis, about 20 per cent develop the condition. Eighty-five per cent of all scoliosis cases are idiopathic, which means there is not really a particular reason for why the spine doesn't grow straight.
While I do not think it was deliberate on the part of the co-hosts to poke fun at or be inconsiderate to the needs of those who have to live with this medical condition, we should, as a matter of principle, refrain from coming across as making jokes about any medical condition.
We clearly need to have more discussion on the topic of scoliosis in our local sphere in order to raise the level of awareness of this condition and create a more caring and gentler approach among our people. As a society, we should desist from giving jokes or poking fun at others whom we deem different.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
Scoliosis no joke
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Earlier this month TVJ's popular morning programme Smile Jamaica had a rather informative interview with a group of visiting United Kingdom-based surgeons. The thoracic surgeons were on the island to do volunteer surgery on some of the many Jamaican children who suffer from scoliosis.
However, as someone who is living with scoliosis, I was very much disappointed that towards the end of the interview the male co-host did the unthinkable. He got up from his chair and walked towards the table at the centre of the set and laid himself on it, and jokingly uttered that he too was suffering from scoliosis.
His female co-host was also very insensitive to what is an extremely important health issue affecting at least one per cent of the world's population. In fact, some 6 million people in the United States of America suffer from this medical condition which sees scores of people constantly in pain.
Scoliosis is the abnormal curving of the spine. While the normal spine has gentle natural curves, scoliosis typically causes deformities of the spinal column and rib cage. In scoliosis, the spine curves from side to side to varying degrees, and some of the spinal bones may rotate slightly, making the hips or shoulders appear uneven, and in some instances the child's head is not centred over his or her body.
Other signs of scoliosis include:
o One shoulder blade sticks out more than the other
o One side of the rib cage appears higher than the other
o One hip appears higher or more prominent than the other
o The waist appears uneven
o The body tilts to one side
o One leg may appear shorter than the other
It should be noted scoliosis is not linked to any physical impairment and the condition can occur in adults, but is more commonly diagnosed for the first time in children aged 10-15 years.
The condition also tends to run in families. Among persons with relatives who have scoliosis, about 20 per cent develop the condition. Eighty-five per cent of all scoliosis cases are idiopathic, which means there is not really a particular reason for why the spine doesn't grow straight.
While I do not think it was deliberate on the part of the co-hosts to poke fun at or be inconsiderate to the needs of those who have to live with this medical condition, we should, as a matter of principle, refrain from coming across as making jokes about any medical condition.
We clearly need to have more discussion on the topic of scoliosis in our local sphere in order to raise the level of awareness of this condition and create a more caring and gentler approach among our people. As a society, we should desist from giving jokes or poking fun at others whom we deem different.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
Scoliosis no joke
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