Kyphosis

This unnat­ur­al curv­ing of the spine is a defor­ma­tion caused by dis­ease or dam­age to the ver­te­brae. Kypho­sis has sev­er­al caus­es; bad pos­ture can loosen the spine’s lig­a­ments, caus­ing a curve to devel­op over time. Dis­ease or phys­i­cal dam­age to the bones of the spine can weak­en and col­lapse the ver­te­brae, allow­ing the spine to curve. Dis­eases that are com­mon cul­prits include osteo­poro­sis, Scheuer­man­n’s dis­ease, Pot­t’s dis­ease or spinal tumors.

In most cas­es, the only symp­tom may be the slight appear­ance of a hump in the upper back. If the kypho­sis is severe, the per­son may have aches in the neck and low­er back. Only a physi­cian using x‑rays can make an accu­rate diag­no­sis. Most peo­ple with kypho­sis don’t need treat­ment. Risks can be lim­it­ed by increas­ing cal­ci­um intake, and doing weight-bear­ing exer­cise to strength­en bones. If inter­ven­tion is need­ed, a Pain Med­i­cine spe­cial­ist will treat the patient with a pro­ce­dure called a kyphoplasty.

Click here to review an illus­tra­tion of Kypho­sis.
(Infor­ma­tion obtained from www​.viewmed​ica​.com 2012 Swarm Interactive).