BATON ROUGE — Scoliosis affects seven million Americans, according to the National Scoliosis Foundation.

While it is usually found early in childhood, it can cause future health problems if left untreated. That's why experts say early detection is critical.

Scoliosis is any curving of the spine that is more than 10 degrees off.

"I tell people it's not really a disease, it's just a descriptive term," said Nick Fletcher, an orthopedic surgeon at the Children's Hospital of Atlanta.

Signs of scoliosis include uneven shoulders and shoulder blades, unequal distance between arms and the body when standing, ribs that stick out in one area, prominent muscles in the lower back or a bulge on one side and uneven skin folds at the waist.

Early detection is critical because if left untreated, it can cause chronic back pain, heart problems, lung issues and physical deformity.

"If you have a young child who has a lot of growth left, then their risk of the curve getting bigger goes up and you start looking at bracing once the curve gets to a certain threshold. And if that doesn't work or if they present with it, uh, as an even bigger curve, then you start looking at surgery," Fletcher said.