what is Lordosis and its types

“Lordosis is a disorder of the lower spine that is excessively curved. This problem is one of the abnormalities in the spine that can happen to anyone.”

Thedoctormedical , united states – Normally everyone's spine is slightly curved in the upper, lower back and neck. This natural mechanism works to help with several conditions. Starting from supporting the head area, keeping the head and pelvis aligned, helping to maintain body structure, and making it easier for the body to move and bend.

However, when the spinal curvature is too deep, it can be a sign of lordosis. As a result, it is as if the spine is getting excessive pressure and triggering pain and discomfort.

What is Lordosis?

Lordosis refers to the normal natural lordotic curve of the body. But if the curve is too far inward, it is lordosis, or swayback . Lordosis can affect the lower back and neck and cause a number of problems. Starting from excess pressure on the spine, causing pain and discomfort.

Apart from that, these bone and joint problems can also affect the ability to move if the symptoms are severe and are not treated. Treatment of lordosis depends on how serious the curve is and how the person has lordosis.

Causes of Lordosis You Need to Know
Most cases of lordosis are idiopathic or have no definite cause. However, there are certain conditions and factors that can increase the risk of lordosis, namely:

Spondylolisthesis. This is a spinal condition when one of the lower vertebrae slips forward onto the bone below it. Usually treatment for this condition involves therapy or surgery.
Achondroplasia. Is one of the most common types of dwarfism. Osteoporosis. Is a bone disease that causes loss of bone density, which increases the risk of fractures.
Osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer that usually develops in the shinbone near the knee, the femur near the knee, or the upper arm bone near the shoulder.
Obesity or overweight. Excess body weight can increase the pressure on the back. In addition, obesity can also trigger other serious diseases. Examples include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Symptoms of Lordosis You Need to Know
In general, lordosis can cause symptoms of muscle pain. This muscle pain occurs when the spine curves abnormally. This abnormal curvature will pull the muscles in various directions and cause the muscles to become tense. In addition, there are other symptoms that people with lordosis can feel, including:

Restricted movement around the neck or lower back.
The body feels weak.
Numb.
tingling.
in rare cases, lordosis can cause a person to lose control of the bladder. In addition, this condition can also cause severe and sudden leg pain or weakness.

Types of Lordosis

Lordosis is divided into several types, namely:

1. Lordosis Postural

This type of lordosis often occurs because a person is overweight. This results in the abdominal area having a greater burden and the lumbar region is more advanced. In addition, postural lordosis can also occur when the muscles in the abdomen and back are weak, so they are unable to properly support the spine.

2. Traumatic or Congenital Lordosis

Furthermore, there is trauma or congenital lordosis which occurs when the fetus in the womb experiences imperfect spinal development. The impact is that there is a disability in the spine that makes it weak and unable to bend.

Apart from being a result of congenital defects, congenital lordosis can also occur due to other things. Examples include injuries while playing sports, or having an accident.

3. Neuromuscular lordosis

Neuromuscular lordosis occurs due to health conditions that result in disruption of body functions and muscles. Some of these health problems such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.

4. Lordosis Secondary to Hip Flexion Contracture

This type of lordosis is caused by contractures that occur in the hip joint, in which the joints and muscles are permanently shortened. Contractures can appear due to injury, infection, or muscle balance problems.

5. Postoperative hyperlordosis laminectomy

This disorder appears after undergoing a laminectomy procedure, which is the removal of the spine to provide access to the nerve roots or spinal cord. The surgical procedure resulted in the spine becoming unstable. In addition, the normal curvature also increases, which makes the lower back excessively curved or hyperlordotic.

How to Overcome Lordosis?

Most people with lordosis do not need medical treatment unless the case is severe. Treatment for lordosis will depend on how severe the condition is and the presence of other symptoms. 

Treatment options include:

Use of drugs to reduce pain and swelling.
Daily physical therapy, to strengthen muscles and range of motion.
Application of weight loss efforts, to help posture.
Use of braces to help support posture especially in children and adolescents.
Surgery for severe cases of lordosis with neurological problems.
Use of nutritional supplements such as vitamin D to strengthen and maintain healthy bones.

Can Lordosis Be Prevented?

While there are no guidelines for preventing lordosis, you can do some exercises to maintain good posture and spinal health. These exercises can be:

Perform shoulder movements such as shoulder shrugs .
Train posture and neck health by doing movements such as neck side tilts.
Doing certain yoga poses, such as cat and bridge pose
Leg exercises such as doing leg raises.
Standing too long can also change the curvature of the spine. Therefore, if you often stand, try to rest by sitting in an upright position.

Are There Any Complications from Lordosis?
Most cases of lordosis bone abnormalities do not require special treatment. In fact, some of them can recover after a while. However, that does not mean this condition can be underestimated. Because, it is important to maintain the health of the spine because this part of the body is responsible for most of the movement and flexibility of the body.

If lordosis is left untreated, this condition can cause long-term discomfort and severe pain that interferes with comfort during activity and rest. In addition, lordosis can also increase the risk of health problems in:

Spine.
Pelvic girdle aka pelvic girdle bone.
Foot.
Internal organ.
What is the Difference between Lordosis,

Kyphosis and Scoliosis?

There are three types of curvature of the spine, namely lordosis, kyphosis and scoliosis. These three conditions do look similar, but all three are different conditions. In order not to get confused, know the explanation:

1. Lordosis

Lordosis is the medical definition to describe an excessive inward curve or curvature of the spine. The curvature differs from the normal curve of the spine in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions.

2. Kyphosis

Kyphosis or kyphosis is excessive forward rounding of the upper back. In older people, kyphosis often occurs due to weakness in the spine that causes it to compress or fracture. Other types of kyphosis can appear in infants or teenagers due to spinal malformations or the spine being squeezed over time.

Mild kyphosis may not produce any noticeable signs or symptoms. In fact, the upper back naturally has a bit of kyphosis. People who have excessive curvature may experience back pain and stiffness.

3. Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine is curved to the side. This condition can affect anyone, but most often develops in children aged 10 to 15 years. Until now, experts do not know what the exact cause of scoliosis is. However, this condition appears to involve heredity.