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Kyphosis is an exaggerated, forward rounding of the back. It can occur at any age but is most common in older women.
Age-related kyphosis is often due to weakness in the spinal bones that causes them to compress or crack. Other types of kyphosis can appear in infants or teens due to malformation of the spine or wedging of the spinal bones over time. Mild kyphosis causes few problems. Severe kyphosis can cause pain and be disfiguring. Treatment for kyphosis depends on your age, and the cause and effects of the curvature. Mild kyphosis may produce no noticeable signs or symptoms. But some people experience back pain and stiffness in addition to an abnormally curved spine. The individual bones (vertebrae) that make up a healthy spine look like cylinders stacked in a column. Kyphosis occurs when the vertebrae in the upper back become more wedge shaped. |
Postural Kyphosis
Postural kyphosis is the most prevalent type, and when it comes to addressing the question of whether or not it’s reversible, the answer is yes because this form is not structural.
When a spinal condition is structural, it means that the condition is caused by a structural abnormality within the spine itself.
In postural kyphosis, as the name suggests, causation is chronic poor posture, which can be somewhat easily corrected.
For example, with postural kyphosis, if a person were to lay flat on the floor and make an active effort to straighten their curve, so the length of the spine is in contact with the floor, the abnormal kyphosis can be corrected.
Postural kyphosis is commonly diagnosed in adolescence and is more likely to affect girls than boys.
The condition is commonly caused by poor posture, such as slouching and staring down at devices for extended periods of time, which can lead to what’s known as forward head posture.
Forward head posture develops when there is a shift forward in posture. If you think of a person sitting in a chair and looking down at their phone, the phone is rarely held up to eye level, and instead, the cervical spine is extended forward to look down, and this actually increases the weight of the head on the cervical and upper spine exponentially.
Treatment for Postural Kyphosis
The good news is that as postural kyphosis is not structural, it is highly treatable and can somewhat easily be reversed by addressing the bad postural and movement patterns that led to its development.
Commonly, treatment includes practicing good posture and utilizing condition-specific physical therapy exercises that encourage spinal extension and increase core strength so the muscles that surround the spine can optimally support and stabilize it.
Conversely, structural kyphosis is far more complex to treat, and whether or not it’s reversible depends on a number of important patient/condition variables.
Postural kyphosis is the most prevalent type, and when it comes to addressing the question of whether or not it’s reversible, the answer is yes because this form is not structural.
When a spinal condition is structural, it means that the condition is caused by a structural abnormality within the spine itself.
In postural kyphosis, as the name suggests, causation is chronic poor posture, which can be somewhat easily corrected.
For example, with postural kyphosis, if a person were to lay flat on the floor and make an active effort to straighten their curve, so the length of the spine is in contact with the floor, the abnormal kyphosis can be corrected.
Postural kyphosis is commonly diagnosed in adolescence and is more likely to affect girls than boys.
The condition is commonly caused by poor posture, such as slouching and staring down at devices for extended periods of time, which can lead to what’s known as forward head posture.
Forward head posture develops when there is a shift forward in posture. If you think of a person sitting in a chair and looking down at their phone, the phone is rarely held up to eye level, and instead, the cervical spine is extended forward to look down, and this actually increases the weight of the head on the cervical and upper spine exponentially.
Treatment for Postural Kyphosis
The good news is that as postural kyphosis is not structural, it is highly treatable and can somewhat easily be reversed by addressing the bad postural and movement patterns that led to its development.
Commonly, treatment includes practicing good posture and utilizing condition-specific physical therapy exercises that encourage spinal extension and increase core strength so the muscles that surround the spine can optimally support and stabilize it.
Conversely, structural kyphosis is far more complex to treat, and whether or not it’s reversible depends on a number of important patient/condition variables.
Structural Kyphosis
As mentioned, a structural spinal condition means its causation is due to the presence of a structural abnormality within the spine itself, and while they can still be treatable, whether or not they are reversible will depend on a number of important factors.
Scheuermann’s kyphosis is the most common type of structural kyphosis and was named after the radiologist who first described the condition.
Unlike postural kyphosis, where a change in position can help correct the abnormal spinal curve, with Scheuermann's kyphosis, no change in posture or position has the power to impact the condition on a structural level.
The vertebrae (bones of the spine) in a healthy spine are rectangular in shape; this allows them to be neatly stacked on top of one another (separated by intervertebral discs) in a neutral and healthy alignment.
In cases of Scheuermann’s kyphosis, one or more vertebrae are triangular in shape, and this causes the vertebrae to become wedged together and curve forward: impacting the biomechanics of the entire spine, impairing its ability to maintain its natural alignment and curvatures, and causing the forward-rounding of the thoracic spine.
Scheuermann’s is most commonly diagnosed during adolescence, and this form is more prevalent in boys than girls.
While every case is different and will produce its own unique set of symptoms, Scheuermann’s kyphosis can be painful, especially during long-standing, sitting, or activity periods.
While the kyphotic curves in postural kyphosis are flexible, Scheuermann’s kyphotic curves are rigid, which is why they are more complex to treat.
As mentioned, a structural spinal condition means its causation is due to the presence of a structural abnormality within the spine itself, and while they can still be treatable, whether or not they are reversible will depend on a number of important factors.
Scheuermann’s kyphosis is the most common type of structural kyphosis and was named after the radiologist who first described the condition.
Unlike postural kyphosis, where a change in position can help correct the abnormal spinal curve, with Scheuermann's kyphosis, no change in posture or position has the power to impact the condition on a structural level.
The vertebrae (bones of the spine) in a healthy spine are rectangular in shape; this allows them to be neatly stacked on top of one another (separated by intervertebral discs) in a neutral and healthy alignment.
In cases of Scheuermann’s kyphosis, one or more vertebrae are triangular in shape, and this causes the vertebrae to become wedged together and curve forward: impacting the biomechanics of the entire spine, impairing its ability to maintain its natural alignment and curvatures, and causing the forward-rounding of the thoracic spine.
Scheuermann’s is most commonly diagnosed during adolescence, and this form is more prevalent in boys than girls.
While every case is different and will produce its own unique set of symptoms, Scheuermann’s kyphosis can be painful, especially during long-standing, sitting, or activity periods.
While the kyphotic curves in postural kyphosis are flexible, Scheuermann’s kyphotic curves are rigid, which is why they are more complex to treat.
