The spinal column is a bony structure located at the back of the trunk, spanning from the neck to the beginning of the gluteal region. It is made up of a series of bones called vertebrae that are stacked on top of each other. These, along their trajectory, change their orientation, which causes a series of curvatures in the spine known as lordosis and kyphosis.
Curvatures of the spine
The column is not straight, along its path it draws three large curvatures, these are:
Cervical lordosis. It is a concave backward curvature located in the cervical region.
Dorsal kyphosis. At the level of the thorax, the spine reverses its curvature which becomes concave forward, increasing the capacity of the thorax.
Lumbar lordosis. In the lower part of the back the spine again draws a concave curve backwards.
Lordosis
Lordosis corresponds to the normal curvature of the spine in the cervical and lumbar regions.
It is possible that in some situations, such as an intense contracture of the regional muscles, these curves are flattened, what is known as lordosis rectification occurs. This is a condition that causes symptoms such as pain.
In the case of lumbar lordosis, in addition to rectification, it can be accentuated by poor posture, causing a pronounced curve to appear in the final part of the spine.
Kyphosis
Kyphosis is the curvature that is normally located in the thoracic spine. Sometimes it can be pronounced causing a hump or hump.
This can occur in people who adopt poor posture, by staying hunched forward. Also, it could be a consequence of crush fractures of the dorsal vertebrae that are observed in people with osteoporosis or with vertebral metastases of some tumors.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a disorder in which the spine curves abnormally laterally. It can be concave to the right or to the left.
This disorder is related to phenomena such as the difference in length of the legs, although it can also occur without an apparent cause.
The most frequent location of scoliosis is at the level of the thoracic spine, beginning during adolescence. It can also occur as a consequence of the degeneration of the joints between the vertebrae, mainly due to osteoarthritis. In the latter case, scoliosis is predominantly located at the lumbar level and is accompanied by a certain degree of rotation of the vertebrae causing what is known as a rotoscoliosis.
Photos: Fotolia - Oxigen / Neokryuger
