This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Spinal curvature

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Within the antero-posterior plane, there are four normal curvatures to the adult spine from superior to inferior:

  • cervical lordosis - convexity faces anteriorly
  • thoracic kyphosis - convexity faces posteriorly
  • lumbar lordosis
  • sacral kyphosis

The primary curvatures of the thorax and sacrum are present at birth. The cervical curvature emerges with the ability to support the head at around the 3rd post-partum month, and the lumbar curvature forms from the time of holding the trunk upright.

Abnormal curvatures of the spine may be congenital e.g. hemivertebrae, or acquired e.g. due to osteoporotic vertebral collapse. The result is either a pathological kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis or a mixture e.g. kyphoscoliosis.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.