It was on my way to work today that I noticed an elderly lady with a rather large hump on her back…>NO intentions of being nasty here<…but how on earth do they get that way and what lies inside these humps? I assume it’s not quite the same as camel ones :p.
Does the spine actually deform to such shapes, or is it some other err, ‘stuff’ inside?
ali
The woman is suffering from osteoporosis. My wife has it bad but thankfully it was caught early and there are ways now to rebuild the bones.
I remember many years ago, there was a book called “The Ugly American”. This woman told of serving in a forgein country in something like the Peace Corps only before that.
She saw woman bent over and thought it was because the handles of their brooms were too short, so she got them brooms with long handles. In other words, she didn’t have a clue and we’ve come a long way baby.
I see…So it is in actual fact a deformation of the bone structure? Rather than some ‘growth’ of any shape or form.
Yes and the deformation is caused by loss of calcium, which is what gives the bones strength. A famous model (can’t think of her name) is doing a commerical on TV about how she discovered she had it and now takes the medicine being advertized. Also, you used the term “hunchback” which is really another problem that they now screen kids for today in school. One of our kids had indications of the problem, but he was a swimmer (competitive) and this helped treat it.
So what are the visual differences between someone who has a ‘hunchback’ and someone who has osteoporosis. Also…what are the physical differences between the two?
What exactly is this. I have seen a bunch of older people that are literally BENT OVER like they are bowing.
Is this the same thing. If not what causes that?
IANAD but actually, I believe that most “hunchbacks” are actually caused by scoliosis, not by osteoporosis, although osteoporosis can cause stooping as well. Scoliosis is a deformity of the spine – it can take the shape of a “c” curve (hunchback aka abnormal kyphosis) or a side-to-side “S” curve… learn all about it:
http://srs.org/htm/library/review/review01.htm.
Scoliosis can come on at any time of life and there are programs in school age children that screen for it, like kniz was saying. I believe it is treatable by a variety of physical therapy type methods when caught early. Does anyone recall the book by (IIRC) Judy Blume about the girl with scoliosis? She had to wear a brace 24/7?
Osteoporosis is a condition of loss of bone density – most people with mild to “average” osteoporosis for their age don’t resemble huhnchbacks. However, they are more prone to breaking bones.
Yep. Deenie.