Kyphosis

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Kyphosis

Skeletal spine

Kyphosis is a curving of the spine that causes a bowing of the back, which leads to a hunchback or slouching posture.

Scheuermann's disease; Roundback; Hunchback; Postural kyphosis

Kyphosis is a spinal deformity that can result from trauma, developmental problems, or degenerative disease. Kyphosis can occur at any age, although it is rare at birth.

Adolescent kyphosis, also known as Scheuermann's disease, results from the wedging together of several consecutive vertebrae (bones of the spine). The cause of Scheuermann's disease is unknown.

In adults, kyphosis can be a result of osteoporotic compression fractures (fractures caused by osteoporosis), degenerative disease (such as arthritis), or spondylolisthesis (slipping of one vertebra forward on another).

Other causes of kyphosis include the following:

• Infection (such as tuberculosis)
• Neurofibromatosis
• Connective tissue disorders
• Muscular dystrophy
• Spina bifida (a birth defect involving incomplete formation of part of the spine)
• Disk degeneration
• Certain endocrine diseases
• Paget's disease
• Polio
• Tumors

Kyphosis can also be seen in association with scoliosis (an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine seen in children and adolescents). Risk factors are related to the causes.

Review Date: 10/23/2006
Reviewed By: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone & Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.