The spinal cord is one of the most important weight bearing structures within the body. It is comprised of four regions: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral segments. Each region has a normal curvature that helps balance and absorb the weight of the body. However, when a curvature becomes over exaggerated, it may lead to spinal abnormalities, such as Kyphosis. Kyphosis is the forward rounding or curvature of the thoracic region of the back, which causes the formation of a hump. Kyphosis is also referred to as hunchback, dowager’s hump, and humpback. Kyphosis can affect anyone, regardless of their age, gender, or ethnicity. There are several factors that may cause kyphosis, such as osteoporosis, disk degeneration, Scheuermann’s disease, certain syndromes, and birth defects. Based on those factors, there are three types of kyphosis: congenital kyphosis, Scheuermann’s kyphosis, and postural kyphosis. Young …show more content…
Postural kyphosis is caused by poor posture and the weak back muscles. Although postural kyphosis is the most common, it usually does not appear until later in life. Other factors that cause kyphosis during old age is disk degeneration. Between the spinal vertebrae, there are softy cushiony disks that allow movement of the vertebrae and prevent them from rubbing against one another. However, as someone ages, the intervertebral discs shrink in size and results in excessive curvature of the spine. In addition, “tumors or tuberculosis of the vertebral bodies and ankylosing spondylitis” also contribute to kyphosis (Frazier, 2013). Lastly, osteoporosis, a bone thinning disorder, causes bones to become weak and brittle and results in compression fractures of the vertebrae. Osteoporosis usually occurs in older people, such as the postmenopausal woman. In general, the prevalence of kyphosis of the general population is roughly between 0.4% to 8.3% (Kyphosis,