Know and Fight Kyphosis

What is a kyphosis?

Our spine has many curves. It is made up of five sections. The inner curve is called the lordotic curves, while the outer curve is kyphosis curve. Spine does not only support body but it also make our body straight. These curves help to better absorb the loads applied to the spine from the weight of the body. Spine also supports the head. 

Kyphosis (also called round back or Kelso's hunchback) is a condition of over curvature of the upper back(Make the spine in C shape). In this condition the spine abnormally curve and make your body structure just like shown in the picture. 

This can occur sometime from birth while sometimes there can be some other reasons.

Causes:

There are many causes of the curvature of back bone.

• Accident
• Problem with spine development from birth onward
• Arthritis type diseases
• Tumors
• Poliomyelitis
• Tuberculosis
• Spine Bifida
• Osteoporosis
• Connective tissues disorder

There is another big cause is age. And currently there are no public health approaches have been taken to prevent kyphosis in older age. 

Symptoms:

The symptoms are:

·         Back pain

·         Difficulty standing upright or stiffness

·         Fatigue of the back and legs

Any patient that develops signs or symptoms of kyphosis should be evaluated by a physician to rule out a more serious cause. 

Diagnose:

Some times the doctor may ask about your medical history, because sometimes this is an inherited disease. After that a physical examination will be performed. A physician may perform X-ray.Serious cases of kyphosis cause breathing difficulty discomfort with severe pain, digestion problems and cardiovascular problems. In rare cases, it might even be fatal and may shorten lifespan. 

Treatment:

Postural kyphosis treatment can be done by physical therapy to help muscle strengthening and posture correction. Some drugs that are prescribed by physician can also help. If the patient is in growth phase brace can help. Surgery is another option in this regard. There are various types of surgeries available to correct kyphosis.
Sometimes exercises can help you to stay away from this disease.

Tips:

To get away from this disease it is always better to sit or stand in a better posture.