Neurosurgery
Discover how Main Line Health neurosurgeons provide expert care, from routine to complex spinal and nervous system conditions for patients.
Kyphosis
What is kyphosis?
Kyphosis is an exaggerated forward rounding of the spine that is common in older women who have osteoporosis and those who have taken high doses of corticosteroids. The spinal bones weaken to the point that they crack and compress. Other types of kyphosis are seen in infants or teens due to birth defects such as the malformation of the spine or the wedging of the spinal bones over time.
Mild kyphosis causes few problems, but severe cases can cause pain and be disfiguring. Treatment for kyphosis depends on your age, the cause of the curvature and its effects.
Causes of kyphosis
Causes may be disc degeneration, Scheuermann's disease that begins during a growth spurt before puberty with the wedging together of several vertebrae. Kyphosis is often the result of arthritis, osteoporosis-related fractures or injury, muscular dystrophy, Paget's disease, spina bifida, polio, Marfan syndrome and Prader-Willi disease. Some cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation treatment can weaken vertebrae and make them more prone to compression fractures.
Treatments
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Non-Surgical Orthopaedic Treatments
Some orthopaedic conditions are first treated with non-surgical procedures followed by surgery as the next step.
Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
As one of the most extensive programs at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, our primary focus is to help patients build strength, mobility and endurance for a variety of orthopaedic conditions.
Spine Surgery
Our spine surgery specialists are academically trained in advanced techniques and perform a high volume of surgeries using the latest technologies.