Kyphosis/Kyphoplasty

Kyphosis is a spinal disorder in which the spine develops a pronounced outward curvature that results in an abnormal rounding of the upper back, sometimes referred as a “hunchback” or “roundback”. Although there are a few types of kyphosis, the three most common are Postural Kyphosis, which is refers to poor posture in adolescence that can improve with exercise, Scheuermann’s Kyphosis, which is associated with significant spinal deformities also during adolescence, and Congenital Kyphosis, which refers to abnormalities in spinal column’s development in the womb. 

Most kyphosis patients require few treatments, if any. A patient, however, could take advantage of physical therapy, as well as utilize a back brace and perform a variety of postural and core exercises that could potentially improve their posture and strengthen the spine. Patients with more severe cases find kyphosis to be debilitating with such extensive deformity that they have trouble breathing.

For patients diagnosed with congenital kyphosis, surgical treatment is often the only avenue to alleviate the condition. One option is spinal fusion, a surgical procedure whereby affected vertebrae are mechanically joined together to correct the alignment. This then helps alleviate pain, lessen the spine’s curvature, prevent further progression of the condition, and maintain this improvement over time. 

Alternatively, when the spine’s abnormal forward curvature is due to vertebral compression fractures, which cause the vertebrae to collapse, kyphoplasty is recommended. This minimally invasive, outpatient surgical procedure repositions the vertebrae and uses medical grade cement to fix the vertebral bodies, allowing the spine to assume a more normal curvature.