Kyphosis, also known as humpback, is one of the disorders that appear in the back and chest area. When the kyphosis patient is viewed from the side, the head is slightly ahead of the body and the protrusion on the back is noticeable, while the lumbar pit is larger than normal.
What is Kyphosis?
Kyphosis, also known as humpback, is one of the disorders that appear in the back and chest area. When the kyphosis patient is viewed from the side, the head is slightly ahead of the body and the protrusion on the back is noticeable, while the lumbar pit is larger than normal. There are degrees of this disease, which manifests itself as a curvature in the spine.
When the hump is between 20 and 55 degrees, it is considered normal, but it must be treated in more advanced degrees. This disease, which negatively affects life both physically and psychologically, can reduce your quality of life.
While humpback seen in childhood can cause lung and heart diseases; On the other hand, the hunchback seen in advanced ages can be life-threatening by reducing the lung capacity.
What is Kyphosis and What are its Causes?
The question of what kyphosis means can be briefly called "humpback". It is a disease that occurs when the spine bends forward. Humpback may occur congenitally (Congenital kyphosis) or it may occur later. Osteoporosis,
What is Congenital (Congenital) Kyphosis?
The lateral view of the normal spine on direct radiography is almost rectangular. The anterior aspect of the thoracic spine is smaller than the posterior (to form kyphosis). Lumbar vertebra, on the other hand, has the opposite structure to form lordosis.
In congenital kyphosis; There is more regional curvature than expected.
There is a possibility of defects in other organ system systems in patients with congenital kyphosis and scoliosis. After confirming the diagnosis with radiographs, spinal cord, cardiac, and gastrointestinal tract Additional tests may be ordered to look for anomalies. MRI (Magnetic resonance) is useful in evaluating the development of abnormal growth potential and spinal deformity.
Clinically, it is important to evaluate the child's leg strength and gait pattern. Advanced kyphosis can cause severe compression on the spinal cord, causing compression and myelopathy (disruption in the spinal cord structure) in the nerves coming out of the spinal cord. Delay in starting to walk may be seen in children with nerve compression. The deformity usually progresses as the child grows. Especially in the first year of life, due to the rapid progress in skeletal development, the progression of the deformity is expected at a high level. The segmentation defect progresses more slowly and surgical intervention may not be necessary until adolescence.
What is Developmental Kyphosis?
Hyperkyphosis (abnormally forward bending of the thoracic spine) can be divided into postural and structural. Postural kyphosis disappears when the patient stands straight. There is no spinal deformity in patients with postural kyphosis.
“Scheurmann kyphosis” is defined as rigid (structural) kyphosis. It is most commonly seen between the ages of 12-15. Abnormal kyphosis is best detected when the patient is bent forward.
Patients with “Scheurmann's disease” often present with poor posture and back pain. Back pain is often seen in the first years of adolescence and decreases with age. There is pain that increases with daily activities.
Kyphosis is often symptomatic and its apex is often found in the middle and lower regions of the thoracic spines instead of the upper side.
What is Traumatic Kyphosis?
Posttraumatic kyphosis is often found in the thoracolumbar and lower regions of the spine. seen in the lumbar region. Patients with this type of kyphosis often also have neurological damage, such as paralysis. Kyphosis may be associated with chronic pain. Causes of pain; spinal muscle weakness, chronic inflammation, progressive deformation and compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Kyphosis treatment aims to correct and stabilize the deformity, reduce pain and improve neurological functions. Flexible deformities treated with posterior fusion and instrumentation (connecting the vertebrae with screws and rods) they can. Fixed deformities often require more serious surgeries involving the removal or cutting of the vertebrae.
Kyphosis, which is one of the spinal diseases that reduces living standards, may rarely occur during development in the mother's womb. Abnormalities that may occur during the development of the baby's spine from the 3rd month may cause the onset of kyphosis. Whether the baby has kyphosis or not can be revealed with the attention of the family. This disease, which can be largely prevented by early diagnosis; After the baby turns 1 year old, it can be taken under control with kyphosis surgery.
The signs of kyphosis in the baby are as follows;
- Anomaly in the arms and legs,
- Disproportionate body,
- Unequal arms, legs and shoulders,
- Loss of balance,
- Humpback when bending forward.
What are the Symptoms of Kyphosis in Adults?
The clearest symptom of kyphosis is tilted forward. However, it also gives clues about Kyphosis by showing some symptoms. These are:
- Mild or severe back pain,
- Length seems to decrease as a result of bending of the bones,
- Having difficulty in standing upright and increasing difficulty in the future,
- Feeling tiredness in the muscles,
- Hypersensitivity in the spine
How to Measure and Treat the Degree of Kyphosis?
Every person has some degree of curvature, albeit a little. The degree of kyphosis is determined by measuring the curvature in normal posture and the advanced curvature. The degrees of kyphosis that orthopedic surgeons will determine with the necessary examinations are important for determining the treatment method. If the measurement result is between 50-55 degrees of kyphosis, regular exercise, do It will be enough to do the correct posture and correct sitting techniques. Patients with a hunched degree between 55 and 70 can get rid of the hunched posture by using a kyphosis brace, while surgical intervention can be applied for a hunchback measuring 70 and above.
Kyphosis treatment takes shape with the determined measurements after the necessary measurements are made. The disease can be prevented with simple treatment methods at not very advanced degrees. Thanks to exercises that strengthen the waist and back muscles and vertebrae, the hump can completely disappear. The corset, which is preferred for more advanced degrees, is mostly recommended for use when the patient is standing and working. If it is used without negligence, the hump can be retracted to normal dimensions.
In more advanced cases, there is no solution other than surgery and with this surgery, the patient's kyphosis level is tried to be reduced. All the vertebrae from the nape to the end of the waist are fixed to each other and the spines are made regular. In children, the situation is different. In the kyphosis surgery performed on them, two independent rods are placed, holding the vertebrae and allowing the vertebrae to intertwine. Depending on the child's development, these bars are lengthened every 6 months. The reason why this surgery is performed urgently in children; It is the child's desire to prevent heart and liver disease that may occur in his later years.
Which Exercises Can Be Done for Kyphosis?
Humpback occurs with weakening of the lower back muscles. It is not seen in people with strong back muscles and mostly weight lifters. If you have a hunchback, you can solve the problem by doing some exercises that will strengthen your back and change your posture. You can do reverse sit-ups, swim, and do fitness exercises on a regular basis. Some of the Kyphosis exercises you can do are as follows; With some movements, the muscles in the front can be stretched while the muscles in the back can be strengthened. In the first place; you can take a deep breath and stretch your arms back as if yawning and lean yourself back. You can also practice this movement by combining the arms at the neck or by combining them at your waist. This can be repeated 3 times within 1 minute. There are some exercises to do to strengthen the back and back muscles. These movements also stretch the muscles in the front of the body. First of all, you should lie face down and put your toes straight on the ground. In this way, you stabilize the lower part of the spine. Afterwards, you can take a large bar and lift it with both hands and push it backwards to bring the shoulders to the right shape.
It is also important to stretch the chest muscles for the disappearance of the symptoms of this disease. It is available in an easy exercise where you can achieve this. You can stretch your body by leaning your hand and elbow against the wall and turning your body with your head in the opposite direction of the arm. You can achieve an equal stretch by doing the same movement with your other arm. This exercise, which you can do 4 times in 1 minute, will also relax the vertebrae. The tension of the abdominal muscles is one of the factors that pull the body forward. For this, you can stretch your abdominal muscles and get one step closer to the correct posture. Lying face down, you should put your toes parallel to the ground again, then place your hands on the floor and complete the movement by pushing the upper part of your waist up without neglecting to breathe deeply.
Kyphosis exercise should also be done on the recommendation of a doctor. Improper exercises will not improve your condition and may make your condition worse. While doing the most appropriate exercise to be determined for you with the program determined by the doctor; At the same time, you should pay attention to some details in your life. You can prevent the progression of the hump by minimizing the posture disorder, which is another cause of hunchback, in your daily life.
For this, you should be careful not to bend too much and sit upright during the day. While using a computer, you can adjust the screen to your eye level and sit upright in the chair without straining. By avoiding sudden movements while sitting and standing, you can protect your spine and lower back from possible damage.
Why Early Diagnosis and Correct Treatment is Important?
If you have symptoms of kyphosis, you can immediately consult a doctor and have a definitive diagnosis. Kyphosis that has reached advanced levels can be corrected with some surgical operations.
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