Spine’s A Little Weird? You May Have One of These 3 Types of Spinal Curvature Disorders

A healthy and normal spine should be aligned along the centre of the back. It also has gentle curves on the side, which help absorb pressure from movement and gravity. When there are issues in the spinal region, anomalies like misalignment of the spine or exaggerated and abnormal curvatures can occur, leading to spinal disorders like excessive lordosis,excessive kyphosis, and scoliosis.

Excessive Lordosis / Hyperlordosis

Lordosis is a spinal condition that presents with an exaggerated inward curvature of the spine. It usually occurs in the lower back across the lumbar spine region. In some cases, this condition can also develop in the cervical spine. 

Regardless of age and gender, anyone can be affected by lordosis. Spondylolisthesis, osteoporosis, and obesity generally increase the risk of lordosis. An individual with lordosis will have an abnormal posture. Due to lumbar lordosis, their rear ends appear to be more prominent as general postural elements are exaggerated. There are also different levels of back pain and mobility problems. 

Excessive Kyphosis

While lordosis affects the inward curvature of the spine, kyphosis occurs at the outward curvature across the thoracic or thoracolumbar sections of the spine and also the cervical spine. It causes a forward rounded posture with excessively hunched shoulders. 

There are three types of kyphosis: 

• Postural: Characterised by noticeable slouching and poor posture, this form is usually not painful, non-progressive and easy to treat as it is not caused by structural abnormalities in the spine. 
• Scheuermann’s: This form is a structural condition caused by anomalies in the spine where instead of the normal rectangle-shaped vertebrae, the patient’s vertebrae are triangular. This form is not easy to treat, painful, and more common in boys.  
• Congenital: This condition develops in the uterus, which means patients are born with this spinal abnormality. Patients with this condition present with a malformation in the spinal column, like multiple vertebrae fused together. Unfortunately, while uncommon, congenital kyphosis progresses with growth and is difficult to treat.  

Scoliosis

 In Greek, scoliosis means “crooked”, which gives a picture of what scoliosis, a medical condition of the spine, entails. Generally, patients with scoliosis would have their spines curved to the right or left and rotate on their vertical axis. This can result in one shoulder blade being higher than the other, an uneven waist or hip, leaning towards one specific side or a rib hump. 

Fortunately, treatment is available for this condition. However, it must be detected and diagnosed early as scoliosis is progressive and can be more complicated to treat down the road. The Schroth Method is a physiotherapy approach to scoliosis based on exercises tailored to each patient’s spine curvature. It benefits patients of all age groups, and exercises can be continued at home to manage the discomfort of this spinal condition.  

Don’t mistake spinal curvature disorders for poor posture, as they are actually caused by abnormal curves within the spinal columns. Consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan to help with the condition.

Physiotherapy or physical therapy can also assist with building muscle strength to help cope with spine-related problems. Call B-Physica for more info or schedule an appointment with our physiotherapists to get an accurate assessment of your condition. We can help foresee possible issues in the future and check to what extend these problems would affect the rest of the body’s function.