Adams test for scoliosis: how to check your child's back at home

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Adams test for detecting scoliosis

What is the Adams test?

The Adams forward bend test is used to detect scoliosis in children and adults alike. It is a simple test you can do at home. During the test we watch the child's back while they bend forward and look for any unevenness. This makes it easy to find out in a home setting whether a child has scoliosis or scoliotic posture. Stand behind the child so that you look at their back at a right angle. The child stands with feet hip-width apart and arms relaxed. Their back should be bare so that you can see the curvature of the spine clearly. Now the child slowly lowers the head, then the chest, and bends vertebra by vertebra through the whole back into a deep forward bend.

Meanwhile we observe the contours of the back. We look for any deviations that are uneven. This may be a difference between the left and right half of the back, any sideways deviation of the spine, or an outright rotation. The rotation forms in the ribs and the spine and pushes one half of the chest backwards and the other forwards. In the forward bend this shows as a change in the shape of the back. Most scoliotic curves deviate in the left lumbar or right thoracic area, but it can be anywhere. We also check whether one shoulder blade sits higher than the other and whether both have the same shape, whether the shoulders are level, and we watch the shape and height of the gluteal muscles. We also check whether the waist is more indented on one side than the other. The greatest difference between the right and left half of the back is usually visible in the full forward bend. On the way back up we check once more for any deviation or unevenness on the trunk. Another indicator of scoliosis in children can be a markedly flat foot or asymmetric ankles.

What to look for during the Adams test:

  • can you see any difference between the left and right half of the back?
  • is the spine deviated to one side or the other?
  • are the shoulder blades at the same height?
  • do the shoulder blades have the same shape?
  • are the shoulders level?
  • are both buttocks at the same height?
  • do the buttocks have the same shape?
  • is one foot noticeably flat?

With a non-scoliotic spine you should see no difference at all. If you do see marked differences, it is likely that your child has at least poor posture.

Photographs showing how to perform the Adams test can be found HERE.
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