Deformity

Kyphosis

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

Treatment depends on the severity of the deformity. In patients with a flexible deformity, physical therapy and attention to posture may result in significant improvement. In patients with rigid deformity of the spine, surgery may be needed.

Surgery for kyphosis involves extending the rounded spine, fusing vertebrae together and using braces to maintain correction. In older patients with kyphosis that is related to compression fractures and osteoporosis, kyphosis may be corrected with a minimally invasive procedure called a balloon kyphoplasty. During this procedure a small balloon is inserted, through a small incision, into the collapsed bone to restore its shape. It is then filled with a substance that hardens and helps the bone expand.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated June 20, 2007