Kyphosis, or being a hunchback, can be a serious medical condition. When your spine curves at the top, it can permanently deform you and lean you forward, giving your back a large hump. There are myriad reasons why your back should be perfectly straight and not look like a question mark. For many people it is really embarrassing and has a huge stigma attached to it. It can happen at birth, through other diseases, or from old age.
It can happen to babies in the uterus if there is some chromosomal defect or genetic predisposition to being a hunchback. If this is the case (especially if it is a problem with chromosomes), other defects may also commonly occur. The most regular to go hand in hand with this condition are further bodily deformities and mental retardation. This is because if there are problems this big this early in a baby's life, it is probably going to affect more than just the spine.
As with just about any condition, it can be serious or minor. When it occurs as a minor problem, people assume the person suffering just has bad posture. It could really strain the spine, but would not be noticeable enough for a doctor to see on a routine visit. It often develops in older people whose muscles and bones start to deteriorate. It is also called a Widow's Hump, due to the frequency with which it occurs in older people. Osteoporosis is often to blame.
Hunched backs can also be the result of other diseases like scoliosis and cerebral palsy--anything that affects both muscle and bone. It can be caused in small children by malnutrition during their significant growth years. They simply do not have the energy for their spinal column to grow correctly.
It is the same reasoning for children who are bow-legged when they have rickets. Lack of proper food at an early age when the body most needs it is very dangerous. Sadly, one of the only corrective ways is surgery (especially for children who are born with the disease). Surgery is also very dangerous.
Scheuermann's Kyphosis is a much more serious problem. The person cannot do anything to physically straighten up, which some other types of this problem may be able to do. Some can reduce the cosmetic look of it by actually having better posture, though the problem will still be there. Scheuermann's cannot; their spines are far too rigid and set in the curved position.
If you do not have it seriously, though, there are two methods for correction. One is extensive physical therapy to help strengthen back muscles. After years of aligning and strengthening, your back can start growing well and normally. The other option, usually reserved for children who have not finished fully growing, is a brace that holds the spine in its proper position. This can be embarrassing, but it works the same as a scoliosis brace and can save a life time of medical trouble.
It can happen to babies in the uterus if there is some chromosomal defect or genetic predisposition to being a hunchback. If this is the case (especially if it is a problem with chromosomes), other defects may also commonly occur. The most regular to go hand in hand with this condition are further bodily deformities and mental retardation. This is because if there are problems this big this early in a baby's life, it is probably going to affect more than just the spine.
As with just about any condition, it can be serious or minor. When it occurs as a minor problem, people assume the person suffering just has bad posture. It could really strain the spine, but would not be noticeable enough for a doctor to see on a routine visit. It often develops in older people whose muscles and bones start to deteriorate. It is also called a Widow's Hump, due to the frequency with which it occurs in older people. Osteoporosis is often to blame.
Hunched backs can also be the result of other diseases like scoliosis and cerebral palsy--anything that affects both muscle and bone. It can be caused in small children by malnutrition during their significant growth years. They simply do not have the energy for their spinal column to grow correctly.
It is the same reasoning for children who are bow-legged when they have rickets. Lack of proper food at an early age when the body most needs it is very dangerous. Sadly, one of the only corrective ways is surgery (especially for children who are born with the disease). Surgery is also very dangerous.
Scheuermann's Kyphosis is a much more serious problem. The person cannot do anything to physically straighten up, which some other types of this problem may be able to do. Some can reduce the cosmetic look of it by actually having better posture, though the problem will still be there. Scheuermann's cannot; their spines are far too rigid and set in the curved position.
If you do not have it seriously, though, there are two methods for correction. One is extensive physical therapy to help strengthen back muscles. After years of aligning and strengthening, your back can start growing well and normally. The other option, usually reserved for children who have not finished fully growing, is a brace that holds the spine in its proper position. This can be embarrassing, but it works the same as a scoliosis brace and can save a life time of medical trouble.
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