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The challenge, Spineathlon 2026, began on 26 June during Scoliosis Awareness Month. In its second year, the event brought together members of the hospital’s spinal surgery team for a journey covering approximately 180 miles, with different forms of travel used across the six-day route. For some young patients, that means returning to hospital for imaging once or twice a year, sometimes more frequently as their condition changes or surgery approaches. Each appointment provides information about the spine’s alignment and whether the curve has progressed. The repeated nature of these examinations, however, makes the amount of radiation used an important consideration.
Scarlett Turrell, a 19-year-old trainee dental nurse from Lowestoft, has received treatment for scoliosis and has spoken about the experience of being diagnosed and monitored. The hospital’s fundraising effort is therefore focused on acquiring a specific piece of clinical equipment rather than supporting a general expansion of services. Children are more sensitive to radiation than adults, and the cumulative exposure associated with years of monitoring is a concern for patients who require frequent scans. The hospital hopes the proposed EOS system will help reduce that burden without compromising the information doctors need to make decisions about treatment. Patients with early-onset scoliosis are one group the equipment could help. Their treatment and monitoring may begin at a particularly young age, leaving them facing repeated imaging throughout childhood. Children whose spinal curves change quickly during growth spurts can also require close observation. The system is intended to give the spinal team clearer information while reducing the radiation involved in obtaining it. Better imaging can help clinicians understand a patient’s condition, follow changes and plan interventions where necessary. Her account illustrates how the condition can affect everyday life as well as lead to repeated hospital appointments. She recalled that clothing became a particular source of insecurity after her diagnosis, with the condition affecting her confidence. The early stages of treatment involved several scans while clinicians assessed her spine. She later attended for monitoring once or twice a year, with appointments becoming more frequent as she approached surgery.