Kyphosis

Short characteristic of a disease

The disease "kyphosis" represents a rachiocampsis in the sagittal plane. In a varying degree similar curvatures are present at any person, however, so far as concerns a considerable aberration, the diagnosis a backbone kyphosis is made to the patient. The bend has the form of a letter "C" from the directed kzada camber.

Allocate the following degrees of a kyphosis:

• The I degree (easy kyphosis) – the size of a curvature is more than 30 degrees;
• The II degree (moderate chest kyphosis) – from 30 to 60 degrees;
• The III degree (heavy kyphosis) – a curvature more than 60 degrees.

Kyphosis reasons

There are several reasons of formation of the bent backbone. First of all, pathology can be caused by disturbances of pre-natal development. In this case we speak about such disease as an inborn kyphosis which treatment needs to be begun right after the child's birth. In certain cases operations or the injuries, especially compression fractures of bodies of vertebrae characteristic of elderly people become the reason of a kyphosis. These are the main reasons for a rachiocampsis, but there are also more exotic factors which can exert impact on development of adverse processes. Infectious diseases or radiation therapy which is appointed to the child in the presence of malignant new growths belong to such factors, for example.

Disease symptoms

The main sign of a kyphosis – the dorsodynia caused by muscular spasms. At a severe form some patients have a compression of a spinal cord and nervous roots. In this a case people begin to suffer from sudden, sharp pains, weakness in extremities, pelvic frustration and numbness.

Kyphosis – treatment of a disease

Today distribution was gained by several techniques. In most cases the patient appoints the conservative treatment including physical therapy, physiotherapy exercises, massage, reception of medicines and carrying special corsets. Let's notice that if the diagnosis a kyphosis is made to you, exercises by special techniques become the urgent need. It is connected with the fact that the gymnastics helps to cope with pain, interferes with development of disturbances of functions of lungs and hearts, frequent in the absence of adequate medical procedures.

Helps to stop development of degenerative changes also treatment of the accompanying osteoporosis which is often developing at a rachiocampsis. At such option the kyphosis of chest department is treated by means of administration of drugs of calcium, vitamins, physiotherapy exercises and replacement hormonal therapy.

We will stop on above-mentioned corsets in more detail. Their carrying allows to reduce considerably a pain syndrome, but is not capable to affect a bearing curvature if the kyphosis of chest department of a backbone already led to strong changes. Also it is necessary to notice that uncontrolled use of corsets damages health of the patient as leads to weakening of muscles of a back and increase in extent of deformation.

If drug treatment does not result in the expected results and the kyphosis of a backbone continues to progress, then doctors resort to an operative measure. Surgical treatment of a kyphosis bears a certain share of risk therefore before operation it is necessary to weigh all pros and cons, that is, the potential positive effect has to outweigh possible risk. Now indications to operation are situations when the chest kyphosis is followed:

• severe pain is the most frequent reason of an operative measure as the pain syndrome often will not respond to conservative treatment;
• the progressing kyphotic deformation – this process is followed by squeezing of nervous structures, disturbances in work of lungs and heart therefore operation can be recommended to the patient;
• the expressed cosmetic defects – if the kyphosis of chest department of a backbone considerably reduces quality of life of the patient or influences its professional suitability, then doctors make the decision on admissibility of surgical intervention.

As for directly operation, it consists of two stages – elimination of deformation and stabilization of the situation of a backbone. For the last stage so-called systems of transperdikulyarny stabilization which consist of screws and connecting cores are used. They are made of neutral materials also not torn away by an organism that allows to avoid several more operations on removal of system.