What is kyphosis?
Kyphosis is sometimes also called Scheuremann’s disease, is described as a rigid thoracic and thoracolumbar kyphosis in late childhood.
It is diagnosed by x-ray that shows
– by 3 adjacent vertebrase wedged by 5 degrees minimum, or decreased anterior vertebral growth
– vertebral end plate irregularity
– Schmorl nodes
If the kyphosis is flexible a combination of Schroth based exercises and
At your visit, you should expect a comprehensive evaluation, that lasts around 45 minutes. Since we treat patients 1:1, its very important that you come on time, I will likely have you fill out several outcome measures, such as the SRS-22r. The SRS-22r, is a valid and reliable outcome measure, which was developed by the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) that was developed specifically for someone with scoliosis that measures pain, function, self image, and mental health. If you are also coming to evaluate the cause of your neck or back pain, I will likely also have you complete several other out come measures, which can more accurately measure pain and function for this. Insurance companies, heavily rely on these out come measures to determine how many visits they will make eligible for you.
I asked all my patients to come in comfortable clothing, a sports bra or tank top is best for females as the more of your rib cage and trunk I and you can see, the easier it is for me to thoroughly evaluate you. Each evaluation is individualized for each patient. For example, in adolescents I will likely measure the trunk angle of rotation using a scoliometer, angles of kyphosis and lordosis in the sagittal plane using an inclinometer, and discuss in detail your x-ray. If you have any x-ray print outs or reports, please bring them to the appointment. I like to review these with you, as understanding your own anatomy and nature of your scoliosis/kyphosis will help you become an expert in your therapy. If you accept Columbia’s photo consent form, I would take a picture of you standing in front of a grid, that will more accurately measure changes to your rib cage. For an example of this, please go to the scoliosis section to the adult scoliosis case study page.
I likely will only give you a couple exercises at the evaluation, as this allows me to see how your body will respond to the therapy, and will lead me to develop your exercise plan. I also encourage you to stay in contact with me using Columbia Doctor’s patient portal, a free connection to your medical chart, which also allows you to be in contact with all your practitioners at Columbia. This is a vital tool, where we can discuss in between you sessions, any questions you have about your exercises or how to do them at home.
My goal is to make you an expert in your own therapy, so I can ensure that you will be compliant in your plan. I develop your plan of intervention with your personal situation and environment in mind. If for example, you have limited access to exercise equipment, I try to modify the exercises so that you can do them at home independently.
Its important you practice your exercises at home, so you can come with questions, as your involvement in your therapy is the key to your success.
I am also offering intensive sessions, that is ideal for my patients who live out of state, or adolescent patients who are at the peak stage of growth and intervening with this method is most advantageous. The intensive sessions have been shown to be highly effective at teaching a patient to more quickly and thoroughly become an expert in their own scoliosis/kyphosis, and make their postural corrections more automatic. Due to the intense nature of these session, my patients must be pre-screened to ensure, they can tolerate 2.5-5 hours of exercise per day, for it be successful, Please go to my contact page to connect with our administrator or email me at schrothpt@columbia.edu