Kyphosis: Information & kyphosis specialists

16.11.2023
Leading Medicine Guide Editors
Author
Leading Medicine Guide Editors

The medical term kyphosis comes from the Greek and means hump. Kyphosis refers to an excessive backward curvature of the spine in the chest area. The hump is also known as a hunchback, gibbus and hyperkyphosis.

Here you will find further information as well as selected kyphosis specialists and centers.

ICD codes for this diseases: M40

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Brief overview:

  • What is kyphosis? An excessive backward curvature of the spine in the thoracic region. It is commonly referred to as a hump.
  • Symptoms: Chronic back/neck pain, difficult breathing, bleeding, heart disease, sleep disorders, numbness, leg paralysis and more. The patient often also suffers from scoliosis or herniated discs.
  • Causes: Kyphosis can be congenital or acquired in the course of life mainly due to lax posture, degenerative diseases, accidental injuries and spinal tumors.
  • Treatment: In mild cases, conservative measures, especially exercise and correct posture, are sufficient. Otherwise, however, surgery is indicated. In this case, spondylodesis or kyphoplasty could be considered.
  • Exercises: Physiotherapy can correct kyphosis well. The exercises strengthen the back muscles. Physical therapy and breathing exercises also help the patient with techniques to straighten and relieve the spine.

Article overview

What is kyphosis?

Everyone has a slight natural curvature of the thoracic spine towards the back.

Kyphosis of the lumbar spine is when the spine is excessively curved in the lumbar region. Excessive kyphosis can be clearly seen with the naked eye in people standing upright.

Vergleich einer gesunden Wirbelsäule mit Kyphose
In kyphosis, the spine forms a hump © Matthieu | AdobeStock

Depending on the underlying cause , those affected suffer from

Kyphosis often occurs together with scoliosis. This is defined by doctors as a laterally curved and often additionally twisted and stiffened spine.

As the hunchback is clearly visible, it can be easily diagnosed by orthopaedic specialists. They will then carry out an X-ray examination.

If you also have an excessively curved spine at chest height, you should consult an orthopaedic specialist as soon as possible.

How does kyphosis develop?

The hump is caused by vertebral body fractures. In older women, they are usually the result of osteoporosis (porous bones due to a lack of calcium). Degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (joint inflammation) can also cause thoracic spine kyphosis (curvature of the thoracic spine).

Another cause is Scheuermann's disease, which is common in adolescence: in those affected, the thoracic vertebrae on the front and back grow unevenly. The disease is also often associated with herniated discs.

Other causes of kyphosis:

In some people, kyphosis is congenital. These babies are born with deformed or fused vertebrae.

In most cases, however, a hump is caused by careless posture. Too little physical exercise causes the muscles in this region of the body to atrophy. As a result, they can no longer adequately support the spine.

How is kyphosis treated?

In mild cases, monitoring at regular intervals is sufficient. Patients perform exercises to strengthen the back muscles and train correct posture.

Regular sport (walking, jogging) also helps to improve the poor posture.

However, if the patient suffers from

  • difficult breathing,
  • impaired digestion,
  • cardiovascular problems,
  • severe pain or
  • neurological disorders,

an operation is required: spondylodesis restores the natural degree of curvature of the spine by stiffening the vertebral body. To do this, the affected vertebral bodies are fixed with screws (implants).

Kyphoplasty is used for patients with vertebral fractures. It straightens the unstable spine in the thoracic region using bone cement. This alleviates the patient's pain.

The thoracic spine kyphosis can also be easily corrected with an orthosis (corset). The orthopaedic surgeon has them individually fitted according to the severity of the incorrect posture. Nowadays, corsets are designed on the computer using modern software and also help with lordosis problems.

Exercises for kyphosis

Mild cases of hyperkyphosis can be easily corrected with regular physiotherapy treatment. The exercises train the back and chest muscles and thus restore the natural curvature of the spine.

Especially patients with

  • Scheuermann's disease,
  • scoliosis and
  • lordosis-kyphosis

can be treated efficiently in this way.

Physical therapy includes

  • Techniques to straighten the spine,
  • movement exercises for everyday life and
  • techniques that help the patient to increase their breathing volume.

The breathing techniques specially developed for patients with scoliosis and hyperkyphosis further relax and relieve the overstrained back muscles.

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