What treatment can help my 14-year-old sister with kyphosis?

Question

Hi doctor,

My sister is 14 years old. She cannot ultimately stand straight. Her spine bends forward a little near the upper back and shoulders. Could you please suggest me a remedy?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thanks for using this platform.

It sounds like your sister has a forward bend in her upper back when you look at her from her side. Is this correct? We give this forward bend a name called kyphosis. While kyphosis can have numerous causes, the most common in this age group is postural.

Kids in their early teens develop the habit of stooping forward at their lower neck. This habit is often known to be secondary to sitting in front of computers, laptops, tablets, etc. Constant bending forward of the neck makes the upper back adopt this abnormal posture.

Also, the habit of keeping the shoulders protracted in a forward position is common in this age, especially in girls. Very rarely, she may have a structural cause of kyphosis. A common condition in this age is Scheuermann's kyphosis, which is due to the collapse of the discs between the thoracic vertebrae.

It is, however, more common in the mid-back rather than the upper back. Nevertheless, she should be evaluated by a spine surgeon with expertise in spinal deformities to rule this out. If it turns out to be postural, a course of physiotherapy focused on postural training can be helpful.

I will be happy to go into details of the exercises and review any X-rays that may have been done already.

I hope that this answers your query.

Kindly follow up if you have more doubts.

Thank you.