Spinal deformities

The three basic types of spinal deformities are kyphosis, lordosis, and scoliosis. These conditions usually develop during childhood or adolescence and worsen with age, but they may occur in older individuals solely as the result of degenerative changes.

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Kyphosis is characterized by extensive flexion (bending forward) of the spine. It usually affects the thoracic spine but may also occur in the neck or lower back. Thoracic kyphosis is sometimes referred to as dowager's hump, humpback, or hunchback. It is particularly common in older women and can result from disk degeneration (in which the disks lose moisture and shrink), collapse of vertebral bodies due to osteoporosis, or both.

In lordosis, or swayback, the abdomen is thrust too far forward and the buttocks too far to the rear. This condition is common in overweight people with weak abdominal muscles.

Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal sideways bend to the back caused by a twisting of the spine. It can occur at any location in the spine. The amount of pain caused by scoliosis usually depends on the degree of the deformity; more pronounced deformities tend to be more painful. Most scoliosis in our society is inherited and develops in childhood, but it may progress later in life as a result of disk degeneration. Scoliosis that arises during adulthood can be traced to asymmetrical changes in the disks. Scoliosis occurring from degenerative changes alone tends to create fewer problems than childhood scoliosis.