Lordosis is a medical condition in which the lower portion of a person’s backbone is curved. When viewed from behind, the spine of a person with lordosis looks deceitfully straight. The curvature, however, makes the person appear as if he or she has a swayback. For this reason, a person with the condition will have a space between his or her back and the surface beneath when lying down.
A person with this condition often has protruding buttocks. Individuals with the disorder typically do not experience pain in the back or legs, though they may develop dysplasia in the hip. In order to diagnose a person, a doctor generally performs an x-ray in order to determine precisely how curved the spine is. The doctor also performs bone scans, blood tests, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in order to eliminate the possibility that the curvature is caused by a serious disease.
Lordosis can be caused by a variety of factors. For some, it is caused by achondroplasia, a genetic bone growth disorder that may also cause dwarfism. Discitis, an inflammation between the discs in the spine, and kyphosis, also known as humpback, can also lead to this condition. Obesity can also cause lordosis, as the overweight person carries his or her body improperly in order to compensate for the excess weight. Osteoporosis and spondylolisthesis, a condition in which one of the vertebra slips forward, can also lead to the disorder.
Identifying lordosis early is necessary to successfully treat the condition. If the patient is capable of bending his or her back, the lordosis may not require much medical care. If the person has difficulty bending and the disorder goes untreated, however, it can lead to a decrease in mobility and cause further deformities to develop.
The precise treatment depends on the cause, the age of the patient, the health of the patient, and the patient's reaction to various procedures and medications. If the condition is simply the result of poor posture, exercises may be all it takes to treat the problem. If the condition is caused by a hip problem or by osteoporosis, however, the underlying cause is treated in order to address the problem.