What is Kyphosis?
Posted on 6th February 2021
Kyphosis is a condition relating to the spine that causes an exaggerated curvature at the top of the back, or the thoracic region, creating a more “rounded” appearance than normal. The spine has a natural curvature, so don’t worry if your spine is slightly curved! It only becomes considered kyphotic if the curvature is at a greater degree than 45.
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Postural conditions are becoming a common occurrence in today’s society as sedentary lifestyles become more commonplace. But there are a variety of other factors which can cause this condition.
In a lot of cases, a child can actually be born with this condition, and this is known as ‘congenital kyphosis’. This occurs when normal development of the spine is disrupted before birth, and a number of the vertebrae are fused together. Scientists aren’t clear on the reason this happens.
If not from birth, this condition can begin with poor posture during childhood. Factors such as slouching, carrying a heavy schoolbag, and leaning back in chairs can cause all the ligaments and muscles designed to keep the vertebrae in place to become stretched, and in turn pull the vertebrae out of position, resulting in kyphosis.
A condition known as “Scheuermann’s disease”, named after Danish surgeon Holger Scheuermann, is known to occur in childhood, particularly in teenagers. This condition affects the vertebrae causing them to grow unevenly into a “wedge” shape instead of the normal “cylindrical” shape, which in turn leads to kyphosis. Sufferers of this condition cannot consciously correct their posture. It is not known what causes this disease, but it’s thought to be hereditary.
Other conditions that can cause kyphosis include:
Osteoporosis- this condition causes bones to weaken and become more likely to break.
Spondylosis- the general wear and tear of bones, discs and ligaments in the spine through ageing.
Spina bifida- this is a condition where the spine has not developed properly.
Muscular dystrophy- this genetic condition causes weakening of the muscles.
Neurofibromatosis- another genetic disorder, this affects the nervous system.
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A lot of cases of Kyphosis can’t be ‘cured’, but they can be managed to help reduce severity and any related pain. In younger years a brace may be needed in order to help correct the posture, but they are less effective in adulthood as there’s no growth to encourage the position of the spine.
Because of the nature of kyphosis, if you have the condition you’ll tend to get increased tension in the shoulders and pectorals, and muscles such as the rhomboids and rotator cuffs tend to also be weakened.
Have a chat with one of our therapists if you believe you a suffering from this or a similar postural condition. We can assess your condition and determine the best course of action to help reduce the effect of the issues.
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