Everything You Need to Know About Hunchback and its Treatment

Hunchback and its Treatment

Hunchback, which can be rightly called as Hunched back is a medical condition where there is an elaborated forward rounding of your upper back. Technically, this condition can occur at any age, although it’s very common in older women, where it’s called as “Dowager’s Hump”. In the following article, let’s try to get some deep insight into the condition and its treatment here. So, don’t miss reading it

What Causes Hunchback and What are its Risk Factors?

An individual is said to have Hunchback when the vertebrae in his/her upper back becomes largely wedge-shaped and the causes for this can be:

• Osteoporosis
• Degeneration of disc
• Cancer
• Cancer treatments
• Scheuermann's disease
• Congenital defects

When it comes to people who contract this deformity, it is found that some groups of people are at an increased risk compared to others. They are:

• Adolescent girls with poor posture
• Boys ages 10 to 15 with risks of developing Scheuermann's kyphosis
• Older patients with osteoporosis
• Patients with connective tissue disorders

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Hunchback?

Usually, the patient may not show any signs or symptoms if the condition is mild. The most obvious symptoms of having Hunchback is an abnormally curved spine, stiffness felt in the back, and back pain. [1]

How is the Hunchback Diagnosed?

Firstly, your physician will perform a complete physical examination towards diagnosing the condition. Then, he will go for a neurological examination to check your muscle strength and reflexes. If needed, he will order for X-rays to figure out the level of curvature and to identify deformities in your vertebrae. For more detailed investigations, he may order for computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. If you are experiencing any weakness or numbness in your muscles, nerve tests may be required to check your nerve impulses. When the Hunchback is so severe, the lung function tests will be done to check if the curvature is affecting your ability to breathe.

What are the Treatment Options for Hunchback?

The treatment for Hunchback will mainly depend upon the underlying cause, as well as the symptoms experienced. Let’s quickly review the different treatment options here: [2]

Pain Relievers:

The following OTC pain relievers can be given for Hunchback patients:

• Acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Naproxen

If these drugs are not effective in reducing the pain caused by Hunchback, stronger pain medications will be prescribed.

Osteoporosis Drugs:

If osteoporosis is the underlying cause of Hunchback, the osteoporosis drugs will be given to the patients in order to prevent fractures of the spine which could worsen your Hunchback.

Exercises:

Exercises will help improve the flexibility of your spine. Note that the exercises which are of help in strengthening muscles will also help with your posture as well. Let’s look at the stretching exercises for good posture here:

• Lie with your back with the feet on the ground and flex your legs to 90 degrees at the knee. Now, pull the belly button in the direction of your spine and hold for about ten seconds. Do 8 repetitions daily for best results.
• By keeping the head upright and shoulders balanced (in such a way that ears are in line with the shoulders), raise your arms (both arms) straight out with your palms up. Now, bend your forearms in and backward in the direction of your shoulders in an attempt to touch your shoulder blades using your fingertips. Do 10 repetitions with each of your arms daily for best results.
• By keeping the head upright and shoulders balanced (in such a way that ears are in line with the shoulders), raise both your arms sideways at the height of your shoulder. Hold on this position for about ten seconds. Now, bring your arms to the sides slowly and again, raise the arms slowly back to the shoulder height. Do 10 repetitions with each of your arms daily for best results. [3]

Bracing:

Use a good quality posture corrector brace to provide superior comfort and unequaled support to your back and shoulders. Bracing is especially important for children who are suffering from Scheuermann's disease in order to halt the worsening of the hunchback. Such children can use a quality brace to help stop the hunchback from growing worse when at the same time keeping their bones growing.

In general, posture correcting braces can be used intermittently when the symptoms grow up and when the person is not able to perform their daily activities. These can also be used to prevent any injury and to develop good posture.

Surgical Procedures:

Surgeries will be done if the curvature of your spine is so elaborated, especially if it’s pinching the spinal cord or the nerve roots. Surgical procedures will help reduce the level of the hunchback curvature.

References:

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kyphosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20374205
2. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/kyphosis-roundback-of-the-spine
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/kyphosis-exercises