Kyphotic deformity of the cervical lordosis: what is it and how to treat it? Spinal deformity: types, causes, treatment and prevention Straightening of lordosis with kyphotic deformity.

The neck is the most vulnerable part of the spinal column, which is easy to injure, often amenable to curvature and the effects of various dystrophic processes. Kyphosis of the cervical spine is a rare disease caused by outward curvature of the vertebrae.

This pathology causes a number of problems: headaches, increased blood pressure, discomfort and pain along the spine, impaired sensitivity and motor activity, changes in the structure of cartilage and destruction of intervertebral discs. Cervical kyphosis is diagnosed in people of different age categories, so it is very important not to forget about preventive measures.

Possible reasons

At birth, the child's spine does not have curvatures, only after some time physiological curves (kyphosis and lordosis) begin to form. The protrusion of the spinal column back in the thoracic and lumbosacral region is called pathological kyphosis. Kyphotic deformity of the cervical spine is a pathology that is very rare. Doctors divide all possible causes into two categories: acquired and congenital.

Acquired causes include:

• Advanced age, at which the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue is observed.
• Concomitant diseases of the spinal column (spondylosis, osteoporosis, osteochondrosis).
• Violation of posture in the form of scoliosis, increased loads on the spine, or, conversely, their complete absence.
• Back injury, which includes damage to the muscles, ligaments and the vertebrae themselves.
• Damage to the vertebrae or other tissues by infectious agents (for example, tuberculosis of the spine).
• Progressive inflammatory processes in severe form, which have a sharp negative effect on the entire body.
• Oncological neoplasms in the spine and tissues adjacent to it.

Congenital causes include:

• Intrauterine abnormal development of the child.
• Damage to the cervical vertebrae during passage through the birth canal or during childbirth.
• Genetic predisposition, characteristic of several generations at once.

Kyphosis of the neck leads to numerous negative consequences. If you notice the disease in time and take all possible measures to combat it, then you can avoid complications and its further development.

Classification

Doctors divided kyphosis into two types: arcuate (in the form of a short strongly elongated arc) and angular (in the form of a round tug, the apex of which is one or more processes of the vertebrae). In the second situation, in the absence of measures to combat the disease, patients develop a hump.

Several forms of kyphotic deformity are distinguished by etiology:

• Postural develops most often in people under 30 years old, and mainly among the female half of the population due to stretched spinal ligaments.
• Paralytic is formed as a result of the onset of paralysis of the muscles of the back for various reasons.
• Postoperative associated with a violation of the technique of operations on the spinal column, as well as non-compliance with the recommendations of a specialist in the postoperative period.
• Post-traumatic makes up about 35% of all kyphosis and develops very quickly. Occurs after fractures of the spine, injuries of ligaments and muscles.
• Senile (senile) is associated with age-related changes and is also common among women.
• Degenerative develops as a result of concomitant diseases of the spine, for example, osteochondrosis.
• Rachitic is typical for young children from 6 months of age with a diagnosis of rickets.
• Scheuermann-Mau disease or juvenile form of kyphosis. Curvature of the spine is observed during the period of active growth and is almost always combined with scoliosis.

As a result of diagnostic procedures, it is possible to identify not only the form of the disease, but also the severity of pathological processes in the cervical vertebrae.

Characteristic symptoms

Pathological kyphosis of the cervical or cervicothoracic spine is manifested by many symptoms. Patients suffering from this disease complain of restrictions in the mobility of the neck, crunching and discomfort when turning the head, frequent dizziness and headaches of varying intensity in the back of the head, impaired posture, the appearance of stoop, and subsequently a hump, increased blood pressure at rest.

Patients are concerned about the violation of the sensitivity of the upper limbs (numbness and tingling of the fingertips), skin of the face and neck, spasm of the skeletal muscles of the cervical region from behind, blurred vision and hearing, functional pain in the affected area, passing to the shoulders and lower part of the head.

The greater the angle of curvature of the spinal column, the more pronounced signs of the disease are observed in patients

Diagnosis and treatment

Usually, if kyphosis is diagnosed in the early stages, then it responds well to drug treatment and requires physiotherapy support. To determine the degree of bending angle, the following procedures are carried out:

• Radiography of the spine in the lateral projection with the maximum extension of the spinal column.
• Magnetic resonance imaging to identify the degree of curvature and changes in the structure of cartilage tissue.
• Contrast myelography (obtaining an image of the subarachnoid space after the introduction of a contrast agent into it) if it is impossible to perform an MRI.

If necessary, they conduct a study of other organs and systems to see how much their work is impaired. Treatment of kyphosis of the cervical spine directly depends on the initial cause of its appearance. In addition, general well-being, the state of the body, the degree of the disease, and the individual characteristics of each person are taken into account.

Therapy usually takes a lot of time and effort. Only under the condition of the ideal fulfillment of all the prescriptions of a specialist is it possible to achieve a complete cure for cervical kyphosis. The main measures in the fight against the disease are:

• Therapeutic gymnastics, the exercises in which are selected for each patient individually.
• Taking medications (analgesics, antispasmodics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.).
• Neck and neck massage.
• Manual and physiotherapy.
• Wearing specially designed collars that are able to keep the neck in a fixed, level position.
• Conducting surgery.

Gymnastics with cervical kyphosis

What is kyphosis and how to treat it - figured it out. Before doing any exercise, you should consult your doctor. There are simply cases when carrying out any procedures is contraindicated. The main exercises that help to cope with kyphosis in the neck are the following.

Starting position - standing, hands behind the back holding a gymnastic stick, feet shoulder-width apart. On a deep breath, sit down as low as possible, while exhaling, stand up. Perform 10-15 repetitions smoothly, without sudden movements. Starting position - standing, arms lowered. On inhalation, the arms stretch up and the head is slightly thrown back. You need to stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. As you exhale, lower your arms and relax.

A positive effect can be achieved after acupuncture

Starting position - lying on your back, elbows pressed to the floor. Slowly and gently, the head rises up along with the chest as you inhale, and as you exhale, it lowers. 10-15 repetitions for 1 approach. Starting position - standing on your elbows and knees, head down, buttocks raised up. Walking in this position should include at least 50 steps, gradually increasing the load.

Starting position standing or sitting. The palms rest against the forehead, and at this time the forehead must be resisted by the palms. The duration of the exercise is from 10 seconds with a further increase in time. The effect of gymnastics will be maximum if it is supplemented by wearing a special collar. It is not recommended to use gymnastics if there is a temperature, high blood pressure, mental disorders, acute infectious diseases.

The information provided is not intended for self-medication. Its accuracy and applicability in your case is not guaranteed. Contact medical specialists!

As we said in the article containing, kyphosis as such is more of a symptom than a disease. However, it is a completely independent launching pad for many ailments.

Among the latter there are those that can make a person an invalid until the end of his days.

What does neglected kyphosis lead to?

Let's start with elementary things that help to understand the main risks.

The curvature of posture is nothing but violation of the anatomical structure chest (and sometimes - and the upper part of the lumbar zone).

The most typical consequences

A change in the shape and position of the vertebrae is necessarily reflected in the position of the ribs. Over time, their mobility is significantly limited.

The ribs are squeezed placed inside the organs. The most significant pressure is on the lungs, a key element of the respiratory system. Their constant stay in constraint over time provokes the development of pulmonary insufficiency. This is the first complication of kyphosis, the most typical.

We argue further. Well, what else is in the chest? That's right, heart. His work also requires normal physiological conditions. Cardiac is often added to pulmonary insufficiency in a person with a kyphotic posture.

But these are far from all possible surprises.

Other complications of kyphosis

With a strong thoracolumbar deformity and with compensatory lordosis, the abdominal cavity is compressed. The result is the development of chronic diseases of the digestive organs - the stomach and intestines.

The liver also suffers.

An additional negative factor is the insufficient supply of oxygen to the mentioned organs, which is explained by inconvenient conditions for the proper functioning of the heart.

We will not say that every patient with a diagnosis of "kyphosis" is threatened with gastritis or colitis. You just need to understand that even a prerequisite for acquiring such ailments can be the last straw, adding to other reasons for the development of a particular disease.

The worst

Finally, let's think about the most frightening type of complications of kyphotic spinal deformity - the violation of motor functions. It is possible when the modified vertebrae begin to push against the spinal canal, which contains the spinal cord.

Alas, sometimes incorrect posture leads to paresis and paralysis. Occasionally, pressure on the spinal cord sets the stage for inflammatory diseases - for example, for.

For some, the most terrible complication may not even be paralysis, but deformity. Angular kyphosis gradually turns into a real hump.

Usually, pathological kyphosis develops in the thoracic region, but in rare cases, this disease also affects the cervical region. As a result of changes caused by damage to the vertebrae, the neck acquires an arched shape, facing the bulge back. This not only negatively affects the appearance of a person, but also threatens with serious health complications. So, what is the danger of kyphosis of the cervical spine, and how to treat it?

Normally, the spine has small bends, due to which shock absorption is provided during movement and there is an even distribution of the load. In the cervical region, the bend is bulging forward, and it is called lordosis. The same lordosis, only with a slightly larger angle of inclination, is present in the lumbar region. Under the influence of certain causes, pathological changes begin in the vertebrae: their front part is flattened, and the back, on the contrary, grows beyond the norm. Even if only 2-3 vertebrae are affected, the shape of the entire cervical region changes.

What threatens such a state? First of all, the intervertebral discs suffer. Uneven load leads to a violation of the structure of the discs, the destruction of the fibrous ring and the formation of hernias. In turn, hernias compress the nerve endings and blood vessels passing in the spine, which causes pain, oxygen starvation of tissues and metabolic disorders. Not only the spine suffers from this, but also the brain, there are problems with pressure and the respiratory system, hearing and vision deteriorate.

Causes of cervical kyphosis

Cervical kyphosis is divided into two types - congenital and acquired. The first type, which is very rare, usually develops due to defects in the formation of the vertebrae during the prenatal period. This may be an incorrect connection of the two upper vertebrae with the occipital bone or the absence of fusion between the vertebral arches.

The second type is more common and there are many more reasons for its appearance. These reasons include:

• conditions accompanied by spasms and paralysis of the paravertebral muscles;
• spinal diseases of a degenerative nature;
• infectious lesions of the intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies;
• age-related changes, deterioration of the vertebrae;
• tumors in the spine;
• rickets transferred in infancy;
• violation of metabolic processes in tissues;
• cervical injuries, including postoperative;
• hereditary predisposition.

Important! In childhood, an improperly organized place to study can provoke, because of which the child has to sit with his head tilted forward for a long time, as well as a violation of posture.

Symptoms of the disease

Unlike thoracic, cervical kyphosis has no specific symptoms, and until the curvature becomes pronounced, it will be quite difficult to determine the pathology. The manifestations of the disease are of a general nature, so differential diagnosis is required to determine the cause of the disease.

The list of common symptoms includes:

When a hernia enters the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord, these symptoms increase, fainting, numbness in the limbs, problems with the respiratory system and cardiac activity are possible. In severe cases, peripheral or central paralysis develops, depending on how severely the spinal cord is affected.

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnostic methods for cervical kyphosis are standard: after an initial examination and anamnesis, the doctor prescribes an X-ray examination, during which pictures of the cervical region are taken in different projections. A more accurate analysis is provided by magnetic resonance imaging or CT, so they are prescribed in complex cases and at the earliest stages of the disease, when structural changes on x-rays are not clearly visible.

Cervical kyphosis is treated mainly by conservative methods, and only if such therapy is ineffective, the patient is shown surgery.

Important! The easiest way to eliminate the curvature in children and adolescents, as their bones continue to grow and can be corrected without much difficulty. In adults, deformities are more difficult to correct, therefore, in most cases, treatment is aimed at eliminating symptoms and improving the quality of life of the patient, but it is not always possible to restore the normal position of the spine.

Drug therapy

With the help of medicines, kyphosis cannot be cured, but they are necessary to relieve pain, relieve swelling and inflammation during nerve compression. If the pain is moderate, painkillers from the NSAID group are used in the form of ointments, creams, patches.

Table. Popular painkillers ointments

Before using the ointment, you should carefully read the instructions, study the contraindications to the drug. Improper use can lead to negative consequences and worsen the condition.

Espol ointment: instructions for use

If you want to know in more detail what types are, as well as consider their composition and application, you can read an article about this on our portal.

With a strong pain syndrome, external agents must be combined with tablets and injections, otherwise the effect will be insufficient. Usually prescribed analgesics and painkillers from the group of NSAIDs, vasodilators, muscle relaxants. The exact dosage and duration of administration will be determined by the attending physician, while the patient is required to strictly comply with medical prescriptions.

exercise therapy

To straighten the cervical region, it is necessary to develop and strengthen the muscles of the neck well. Best of all, this is facilitated by special exercises, the implementation of which is within the power of anyone. Since the vulnerability of the vertebrae and soft tissues increases with kyphosis, it is necessary to completely exclude sudden movements, tilts, and intense head turns. You need to move your neck very smoothly, carefully listening to your feelings.

To achieve a therapeutic effect, you should practice daily for 15-20 minutes for 2 or 3 months. In the future, the frequency of classes can be reduced to two times a week, if there is a positive trend.

Video - Exercises for cervical kyphosis

Physical therapy has its own contraindications:

• exacerbation of pathology, the presence of severe pain in the neck;
• heat;
• sharp jumps in blood pressure;
• the presence of oncological formations in the spine.

Advice. Do not engage in poor health, dizziness, nausea, nosebleeds. The main condition is that after the exercises, a slight pleasant fatigue should be felt, and not pain or discomfort. You can not drastically increase the number of repetitions or the duration of classes, since a sudden load on weakened muscles will only bring harm.

Traction (traction)

With a mild degree of deformity, the patient may be prescribed spinal traction. For the cervical region, a special device is used - the Glisson loop, which is a system of belts with clasps. This easy-to-use simulator helps to increase the intervertebral space, thereby releasing the pinched roots and blood vessels, improving blood circulation, and improving disc nutrition.

Important! Traction must necessarily be combined with wearing an orthopedic collar, massage and physiotherapy exercises, since with such a load the risk of muscle injury sharply increases. In addition, the procedure has many contraindications, and it cannot be used without a doctor's prescription. If the deformities are significant, traction will be ineffective, in which case it is better to choose other methods of treatment.

Orthotics

To straighten the pathological bend of the neck, wearing an orthopedic collar, or Shants collar, is often prescribed. These devices come in various shapes, heights and degrees of rigidity, but they all operate on the same principle: they relieve the load from the affected vertebrae and fix the neck in the correct position. You cannot choose a collar on your own, since you need to take into account the degree of deformation, possible complications and the presence of contraindications. Also, you can not wear a collar all the time, as this leads to muscle atrophy. To achieve tangible results, wearing a retainer must be combined with therapeutic exercises and massage.

The spine of a healthy person has natural physiological curves, but if the curvature in the thoracic region increases significantly, the so-called “round back” is formed, then this is a direct sign of kyphotic deformity. At the same time, the shoulder girdle moves forward, and the chest narrows, and its anteroposterior size increases.

What are the main reasons for the development of this condition?

The causative factors of the disease include the following:

• Genetic predisposition, congenital weakness of the ligamentous apparatus of the musculoskeletal system;
• Traumatic injuries of the spinal column;
• Damage to the intervertebral cartilage discs by such a pathological process as osteochondrosis;
• Weakness of the muscular corset of the back;
• A history of poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, radiculitis or radiculopathy;
• Incorrect posture while sitting and walking, lifting weights and other increased stress on the spine.

How does kyphosis of the thoracic spine manifest itself clinically?

The clinical signs of kyphosis of the thoracic spine include:

• posterior curvature of the spine in the sagittal plane;
• Tilt the shoulder girdle forward and down;
• Reducing the volume of the chest and abdominal cavities;
• Visible stoop, the appearance of a hump in the thoracic region;
• Difficulty breathing, the appearance of shortness of breath with moderate physical exertion and even at rest, which occurs due to a significant decrease in chest excursion, the active participation of the auxiliary respiratory muscles, which also requires a large amount of oxygen for its functioning;
• The appearance of various diseases of the internal organs, which are innervated by the roots that emerge between the vertebrae of the thoracic spine.

What are the therapeutic measures aimed at reducing and eliminating kyphotic deformity?

Treatment of this disease, which is terrible for its complications, it is advisable to start at the earliest stages. In this situation, a comprehensive and systematic approach is needed, which is based on the following therapeutic measures and procedures: physiotherapy exercises, massage, physiotherapy techniques, medications, a balanced diet with an increased amount of vitamins and minerals consumed, as well as wearing a special corset that strengthens the muscles of the back.

If you believe many qualified doctors, then the methods of therapeutic exercises help best in the early stages of kyphosis.

Here are some examples of simple exercises:

1. To begin with, take a knee-elbow position, straighten the spine in the cervical and thoracic regions, spread your elbows to the sides as much as possible. In this position, start moving forward (approximately 50 steps);
2. Take a gymnastic stick, lying on your stomach, put it on your back in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades and grab it tightly with your hands. Tilt your head back, try to rise up, and then take the starting position. Try to complete ten such repetitions in one session;
3. Lie on your back, place your arms bent at the elbow joints along the torso. During a deep breath, try to bend as much as possible in the thoracic spine, while the points of contact with the floor will be the heels, buttocks, elbows and back of the head. Try to perform as many repetitions as possible, each time returning to the starting position;
4. Squat with a gymnastic stick. To perform this exercise, you need to stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart, take a gymnastic stick and bring it over your head onto your back, and then start squatting, trying to constantly keep your back as even as possible, each time returning to its original position.

The spinal column has a certain curved shape, which is formed in the first year of a child's life. It has two kyphosis - anatomical bends in the thoracic and sacral spine - and two lordosis - also anatomically and physiologically determined bends in the cervical and lumbar regions. Kyphosis - the bend of the column backwards, if you stand facing the person, lordosis - anteriorly. However, for a number of reasons, physiological curves can turn into pathological ones.

Causes

Of course, the thoracic and lumbar regions are most often affected. Most of the world's population faces these problems. But sometimes the cervical region is also subjected to deformation. Kyphosis of the cervical spine can develop both in adulthood and in early childhood. And the latter is much more dangerous for life.

In childhood, the mechanism of occurrence of this pathology is the following reasons:

1. Lack of vitamin D, suggesting the development of rickets, one of the manifestations of which is the deformation of the vertebral bodies, a decrease in their height anteriorly.
2. Birth trauma. Manifestations of birth injuries can be very diverse, including compression of the cervical vertebrae.
3. Torticollis. This is a disease that is a spasm of the nodding muscles (slow hyperkinesis), leading to deformation not only of the neck, but even of the facial skull.

Vitamin D deficiency is a common cause of spinal deformity in children

In adults, kyphosis of the cervical spine can be observed with such pathologies:

1. Osteoporosis. Every person over thirty or forty years of age has this problem, in the absence, of course, of preventive treatment. Osteoporosis, like rickets, changes the vertebrae, only if growth changes in childhood, then in adulthood compression fractures are formed, which patients sometimes do not pay attention to, do not treat in a timely manner.
2. Spinal injuries. The same compression fractures as in osteoporosis, but occurring in people on the background of complete health.
3. Paralysis of the muscles of the neck. They are extremely rare in isolated form. Occurs with strokes of the brain. The patient's head seems to be hanging, constantly tilted forward, which, over time, changes the bone structures that adapt to the new state.
4. Infectious diseases penetrating the skeletal system. Most often, the bones are affected by mycobacterium tuberculosis, which, literally, corrode them, leaving cavities inside the vertebral bodies, breaking the strength of the bone tissue, which again leads to compression fractures.

Thus, it can be seen that in fact there are only three reasons for kyphotic deformity of the cervical spine: compression fractures of the vertebral bodies, their abnormal growth, and changes in the configuration in the mature state.

How does pathological kyphosis manifest?

Unfortunately, the disease manifests itself not only as a cosmetic defect. The constant companions of patients with this problem are:

• headache, often starting in the occipital region and spreading to the entire head;
• a feeling of crawling, numbness in the neck, neck;
• dizziness, especially aggravated by looking up or by tilting the head. Dizziness comes to fainting or falling without loss of consciousness (drop attacks);
• pain in the neck - pulling, aching, not allowing to relax;
• problems with the upper limbs - numbness, burning, decreased strength, tingling, pain.

Neck pain in kyphotic deformity may be permanent

All these symptoms occur as a result of compression of the vertebral artery by deformed vertebrae (the vertebral artery in the neck passes in the bone canal formed by sections of the vertebrae) and, as a result, lack of oxygen to the brain, as well as due to compression of the roots of the spinal cord (in severe cases, and itself) .

With a mild degree of deformity, the symptoms may be minimal, they may decrease or even disappear for a while under favorable living conditions. But with age, there is a tendency to increase their number and severity.

Treatment

Since the disease refers, for the most part, to surgical and traumatological pathologies, the treatment of kyphosis of the cervical spine is the prerogative of neurosurgeons and orthopedic traumatologists. In mild cases that do not require surgery, treatment is prescribed by a neurologist.

Surgical methods of treatment include the installation of various metal structures that fasten the vertebrae together in the correct position. The operation is quite safe, with a minimum of possible unpleasant consequences, which relate more to the mistakes of doctors, and not to the complications of the procedure itself.

But there are many more methods of conservative therapy:

1. exercise therapy or gymnastics. It should be prescribed by an exercise therapy doctor, but the simplest exercises that strengthen the muscles of the neck can be performed independently. In addition, swimming in the pool is also referred to as physiotherapy exercises.
2. Massage . Massage in this case is indicated not only for children suffering from torticollis, but also for any other patient. With the help of massage, you can not only relax the affected muscles, but, on the contrary, give them a tone, increase the ability to train. In addition, a skilled massage therapist is able to make the spine itself more mobile.
3. Manual therapy. Without going into details, this type of treatment is similar to the previous one, but much more effective if you need to achieve results as quickly as possible.
4. Acupuncture. With its help, you can both reduce muscle tone and increase it.
5. Use of orthoses(corsets). Cervical kyphosis resulting from compression fractures responds well to treatment with a position that is fixed with special corsets of varying stiffness.
6. Taking pills calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and other trace elements are indicated in any case, however, their maximum effectiveness is observed with vitamin D hypovitaminosis and osteoporosis. In other cases, the appropriateness of prescribing these drugs can be questioned.

It is worth noting that the sooner a person begins treatment, the more successful it will be. So, with the current torticollis, only surgery can help - transplanting the tendons of spasmodic muscles to a new place. And in the early stages of the development of the disease, complete compensation of the patient's condition is possible.