Kyphosis and Scoliosis

Scoliosis is the lateral inclination of the spine beyond the normal (10 degrees), which causes a three-dimensional deformation of the spine, while kyphosis is a condition in which the human spine (the thoracic spine) shows increased curvature (hump).

Scoliosis is the three-dimensional deformation of the spine, i.e. the lateral tilting and twisting of the vertebrae. The word comes from the ancient Greek 'scolios', meaning crooked.

Its most common occurrence is during a person's teenage years (80% of cases are found in adolescents and affect 1.5% to 4.5% of the school population), but it can occur earlier, even in infancy. In adulthood, severe spinal degeneration or the progression of a neglected adolescent scoliosis can lead to adult scoliosis. The younger the age it occurs the more aggressive it usually is.

The etiology of scoliosis is undetermined, but it certainly appears that the problems caused by scoliosis may involve chronic musculoskeletal painful syndromes, skeletal deformity and cardiorespiratory strain.

Based on the cause, scoliosis is divided into idiopathic (80% of scolioses), where the cause is unknown, and secondary (20% of scolioses), where a specific cause is identified (osteoporosis, neuromuscular diseases, rheumatological diseases, etc.).

Treatment

The treatment of scoliosis starts with early diagnosis and full evaluation of the problem. It is right that the treatment should be planned for each patient individually and take into account the accompanying diseases and the patient's peculiarities.

Conservative Treatment

The treatment methods that are generally used are:

• Appropriate therapeutic guardianship, the use of which is primarily aimed at halting the progression of the disease and further deformity. The patient is subjected to a special, easy measurement and the guard is made on the basis of the measurement data and according to the doctor's instructions.

• A special exercise programme. The programme is drawn up by the doctor and is individualised to target the needs and capabilities of each patient.

• Treatment of any concomitant diseases.

Surgical Treatment

Surgery for scoliosis is a treatment option only in severe scoliosis and only when proper conservative treatment, with a guardian (in children) and Scoliosis Specific Scoliosis Exercises (PSSE) (in adults) has failed to control the worsening of the scoliosis and there is a significantly reduced quality of life for the patient. The indications for surgery according to the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) include scolioses over 45 degrees in children who are still developing and scolioses over 50 degrees for adults. The most common surgery for scoliosis is spinal fusion. It is performed mainly for cosmetic purposes, as only in scolioses over 80 degrees do serious cardiopulmonary problems appear to occur.

The purpose of spinal fusion is to correct the curvature and stabilize it with strong materials in a better position.

Kyphosis (from the ancient Greek word 'kyphos', which means 'hump') is a deformation of the spine that creates kyphosis (stooped posture). Every person has a normal kyphosis of 20° - 40°. Above this is considered abnormal.

It is a condition that occurs from childhood to old age, more commonly in boys than in girls. The kyphotic posture can be caused by poor posture, which is mostly seen in unfit people. In addition, idiopathic kyphosis, the causes of which are not known, occurs in children and adolescents. In older people , it is caused by other causes, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, etc. Over time, there is a high probability of an increase in the kyphotic angle, as the body gradually loses its firmness and balance.

Treatment

Conservative Treatment

Functional kyphosis is helped by physical exercise and physiotherapy with very good results. In organic kyphosis when the curve is more than 40˚ - 45˚ then the use of a guardian is recommended.

The guardian kyphosis has as a principle the application of 3 points of pressure with shoulder elevation, abdominal pressure to correct lumbar lordosis and posterior pressure with posterior central pressure and, as long as we have a good application of the timetable, the results are very good.

Surgical Treatment

The surgical treatment is applied to curvatures over 70? and the spinal fusion extends from the Th2 to the O3 vertebrae.

The aim of the surgery is to restore the normal curves of the spine.