05 Apr 😬Been told that your child with special needs has scoliosis and hyperkyphosis? 🤔Did you know that the spine can have different curvatures known as scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis
So what is scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis in the spine?
The spine is made up of four segments, the neck (cervical spine), the trunk (thoracic spine), the lower back (lumbar spine) and the tailbone (sacrum). When viewed from the side, these segments form four natural curves. The “c-shaped” convex curves of the neck and lower back are called lordosis. The “reverse c-shaped” curve of the trunk and tailbone is called kyphosis. These curves are important for balance and they help us to stand upright. If any one of the curves becomes too large or small, it becomes difficult to stand up straight and our posture appears abnormal.
Abnormal curvatures of the spine are also referred to as spinal deformity. To make things confusing, abnormal curves are also named as the natural curves but refer to the excessive curvature of the spine
These types of conditions include
1. Hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine (“hunchback”) – where the upper back is too concave and hunched;
2. Hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine (“swayback”) – where the lower back is too convex and the bum is sticking out too much, or hypolordosis (“flatback syndrome”) – where the lower back is too straight and there is a loss of the natural lordosis in the lower back;
3. Scoliosis is another type of spinal deformity. When viewing the spine from the front or back, scoliosis is a sideways curvature that makes the spine look more like an “S” or a “C” than a straight “I.”
The Great News 
about abnormal curvatures of the spine is that often they are preventable or correctable if diagnosed early! Children with special needs can develop neurological scoliosis as a result of low muscle tone or muscle imbalance. If you are concerned about your child’s spine development, reach out to Sydney Kids Physio on 
(02) 9790 4233 or DM us @sydneykidsphysio today to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists 
to find out how we can help your child!
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