What Causes Kyphosis?

Discussion There are 3 planes to view and describe spinal deformities from: Coronal or frontal plane – the view is from front or back of the patient Sagittal plane – is the view from the side of the patient Transverse or horizontal plane – is the view from the top or bottom of the patient Normally the spine is straight when viewed from the frontal or coronal plane. Normally the spine also has a small kyphosis in the thoracic region (20-45%) and lordosis in the sacral region when viewed laterally in the sagittal plane. Scoliosis or abnormal deviation of the spinal laterally is the most common spinal deformity. It is best viewed from the frontal or coronal plane. A review can be found here Kyphosis is the second most common spinal deformity. It is an abnormal deviation of the spine posteriorly and is best viewed from the sagittal plane. Kyphosis is located in the thoracic or thoracolumbar spinal area and defined as having more than a 40 degree Cobb angle deviation as determined on radiographs. In a study of normally development children (ages 5-16 years) serial measurements were made and found that kyphosis increased for both males and females as they aged. Kyphosis usually does not cause significant functional issues, but is associated with a modest risk of back pain and may have an increased risk for negative body image. There are two major kyphosis groupings: round and angular. Round is a smooth, large radius curve to the back that usually involves a larg...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news