The following symptoms and complaints may indicate osteochondrosis of the spine:
- Pain in the area of the spine
- Painful restriction of movement of the spine.
Symptoms of adolescent kyphosis depending on age/stage:
- Early stage/functional phase (<10th LJ) [the disease usually goes unnoticed at this stage]:
- Disc narrowing and decreased distensibility of the intervertebral space (intervertebral space).
- Suspected diagnosis based on:
- Familial burden
- strong acceleration (acceleration of growth)
- Postural weakness
- Hollow back
- Florides stage (boys 12-18 LJ; girls 10-16 LJ):
- Fixed thoracic kyphosis (fixed hunchback), in order to compensate for this, the lumbar spine (LS) often also curves forward at the same time, creating the image of a hollow hunchback
- Increase in kyphosis and the fixation district.
- Typical radiographic findings in at least5 vertebrae:
- Decreased height and wedge-shaped deformation of the vertebrae.
- Reduced intervertebral spaces
- Dorsal extension of the vertebral bodies (towards the front of the body).
- Occurrence of so-called Schmorl nodules, which are caused by disc herniations in the vertebral bodies.
- Late stage (boys ≥ 19 LJ; girls ≥ 17 LJ):
- Fixed kyphosis
- Misuse of the vertebral joints
- Overstretching of the back muscles
- Ventral displacement (forward shift) of the upper body center of gravity.
- Later in severe cases increasing osteochondrotic changes (spondylosis/degenerative changes in vertebral bodies,spondyloarthritis/degenerative disease of the spine).
