close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour doctor will record a history of your condition and conduct a physical exam. The exam may include the following:
- Forward bend test. Your doctor asks you to bend forward from the waist while he or she views the spine from the side. With kyphosis, the rounding of the upper back may become more obvious in this position. In postural kyphosis, the deformity corrects itself when you lie on your back.
- Neurological functions test. Although neurological changes accompanying kyphosis are rare, your doctor may check for them by looking for weakness, changes in sensation or paralysis below the site of the kyphosis.
- Spinal imaging tests. Your doctor may take an X-ray to confirm the kyphosis, determine the degree of curvature and detect any deformity of the vertebrae, which helps identify the type of kyphosis. For example, the appearance of wedge-shaped vertebrae or other features on X-ray differentiates between postural kyphosis and Scheuermann's kyphosis. In older adults, X-rays may show arthritic changes in the spine, which can contribute to an increase in pain. If your doctor suspects a tumor or infection, he or she may request an MRI of your spine.
- Pulmonary function tests. Your doctor may also use breathing tests to assess any breathing difficulty caused by the kyphosis.
References
- Kyphosis (roundback) of the spine. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00423&return_link=0. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
- Kyphosis. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178504199-3/939924608/1584/290.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03329-9..50041-6--cesec146_1870. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
- Spiegel DA. The spine. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Kliegman: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178504199-7/0/1608/1580.html?tocnode=54487234&fromURL=1580.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50680-0--cesec14_12497. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
- Kyphoplasty. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00388. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
- Thomas MA, et al. Scoliosis and kyphosis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178504199-10/939961186/1678/200.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50145-0--cesec17_2442. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on