Treatment Flatback Syndrome
QI Spine Clinic, 4 weeks ago
Flatback syndrome is when the normal curve of the spine is reduced. The spine has normal curvatures that balance body weight and help walk normally. The normal curve of the spine, where it is bent a little backwards at the pelvic level, is called lordosis. The spinal curve bends slightly forward at the chest level, which is called
kyphosis. In a flatback syndrome, the normal S-shaped curve of the spine is lost, and the spine becomes flat. It causes back pain and difficulty in walking and standing upright. This might have given you a good understanding of “what is Flatback Syndrome?”, Now, let’s learn other aspects.
Symptoms of Flatback Syndrome
The spine supports your body and helps you walk and stand upright. The spine also helps maintain balance. If there is any deformity in the spine’s normal curve, it will become difficult to stand straight. It will cause the stooping of the shoulders and back. A person may feel as if falling forward. Symptoms of flatback syndrome include the following:
- It becomes difficult to stand straight.
- Feeling as if bending forward
- The normal balance of the body is lost
- Pain in the back due to an imbalance of the normal curve
- Difficulty in walking straight for a long distance
- Difficulty in doing daily activities
Causes of Flatback Syndrome
Flatback syndrome
may be present at birth. In some children, it is a congenital deformity. Other causes of flatback syndrome
include the following:
- Basically, ankylosing spondylitis or inflammation of the spine can cause flatback syndrome. Inflammation affects the bones, which may cause an imbalance in the normal curve of the spine.
- Injuries to the spine may affect the normal curve. Compression fractures of the vertebrae are mostly the cause of flatback syndrome in some people.
- Degenerative diseases or age-related disorders like osteoporosis can also cause loss of normal spinal curvature.
- Flatback syndrome can also occur after spinal surgery. Surgery done to correct scoliosis can cause flatback syndrome. However, advancements in techniques have reduced this risk.
Diagnosis of Flatback Syndrome
The doctor will take your medical history and will ask about your symptoms. He will ask about any previous spinal surgery or spine deformities. He will perform a physical examination to check the curves of the spine.
The doctor will ask you to walk to determine the gait. This will help the doctor to find if your gait has been changed due to a change in the spinal curvature.
The doctor will also recommend other diagnostic tests such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs to confirm the diagnosis of flatback syndrome.
Treatment of Flatback Syndrome
Treatment of flatback syndrome includes exercise and physical therapy. Exercise and physical therapy help enhance muscle and spinal bone strength and improve posture. Exercises help to reverse the imbalance that makes the spine flat. Several exercises can help reduce the symptoms of flatback syndrome and reverse the normal spine curvature.
- You can visit a physiotherapist who can teach you various exercises such as chest stretches, side-lying leg raises, planking, back extensions, and hamstring and abdominal stretches to improve the strength of back muscles.
- Hamstring and abdominal stretches help to improve the alignment of the lumbar spine. You can hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times two times a day. A physiotherapist will also teach you other exercises that will help to improve the balance.
- The doctor may also recommend over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain and inflammation of the bones. If you have severe back pain due to flatback syndrome, then the doctor may give you steroid shots in the epidural space to give immediate relief from pain.
- Bracing is also an important treatment method for flatback syndrome. Bracing will provide support and stability to the spine. Bracing also helps to maintain the correct posture and reduce the progression of the problem.
- In severe cases, when physical therapy and exercises do not give relief, then surgery may be done. Surgery as the treatment of flatback syndrome includes pedicle subtraction osteotomy, posterior vertebral column resection, and polysegmental wedge osteotomy.
Conclusion
Flatback syndrome is an imbalance in the spinal curvature that may occur due to degenerative diseases, spinal surgery, or ankylosing spondylitis. This causes severe back pain, and the spine’s normal curvature becomes deformed. Flatback syndrome causes difficulty in walking straight and standing upright. It is diagnosed by taking a medical history, performing a physical examination, and doing other diagnostic tests. Treatment for flatback syndrome includes physical therapy, exercises, NSAIDs, or surgery. Your doctor will determine the best treatment plan depending on your symptoms and condition.
