Hunchback or Kyphosis
What is a hunchback?
There is a lot of misunderstanding about hunchback and this website aims to give you more information about the condition. A hunchback, also known as kyphosis is an excessive amount of rounding of the back compared to the normal amount. It can occur to anyone but is most often found in elderly women. The condition may cause breathing problems as it presses on the ribcage and lungs. The spine is supposed to have a natural curve to support the weight of the head, so when this curve is larger than normal, it causes a hunchback which leads to excess pressure on the spine often causing pain.
Causes
A hunchback can be caused by many different factors such as slouching, bad posture and spinal injuries. Bad posture is a major cause of developing a hunchback because posture affects your spinal alignment. It causes weak muscles which are unable to support the neck. One of the bad posture is caused by sitting for long periods of time without movement because the body assumes this position permanently thus causing a hump back.
Another factor that can cause a hunchback is spine injury. If spinal discs shift or break, the natural curve of the spine is misplaced resulting in a hunchback. Diseases such as osteoporosis or arthritis also make bones weak which can result in breakages in the upper spine. When the spine swells, it can distort and during the healing process cause a hunchback.
Symptoms
One of the earliest symptoms of kyphosis is the formation of the ‘forward head’ position. This is when the head placement is ahead of the neck causing an imbalance in the spine. The spine will then slowly begin to curve forward forming a lump below the neck. The patient may also experience stiffness in the neck as well as back pains. Kyphosis can also cause difficulty in breathing and eating.
Treatment
There are several methods to reduce or completely get rid of a hunchback. The least extreme of them is by exercise. Exercises that reduce tightness in the chest muscles are key to making the shoulders fall back and the back muscles to return to their natural position. Another way is to use surgery to fix a hunchback. This is a more extreme measure and should be only be used as the last resort. Bone grafts are usually used to fuse vertebrae together so as the spine grows, it realigns itself and with time, the hump reduces.
Types of kyphosis
There are different types of kyphosis which are formed due to different factors.
- The most common type of kyphosis is postural kyphosis which as the name states, is caused by bad posture.
- Nutritional kyphosis occurs during infancy when not enough vitamins such as calcium and phosphates are consumed, meaning the bones are weak and prone to breakages.
- Scheuermann’s kyphosis is mostly found in teenagers aged in between 10 to 15, happened because of structural malformation of vertebrae or in another word, the vertebrae grow unevenly.
- Congenital kyphosis occurs when the spine of a fetus does not form properly and the bones are malformed.
As seen above, a hunchback is a complex medical condition which is still being researched. Information about a hunchback is necessary for those who need to fix one or give advice to another person.
Some useful exercises you could try to correct your hunchback posture:
Credit: YouTube
