kyphosis

American  

[kahy-foh-sis] / kaɪˈfoʊ sɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. an abnormal, convex curvature of the spine, with a resultant bulge at the upper back.

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kyphosis British  

/ kaɪˈfəʊsɪs, kaɪˈfɒtɪk /

noun

1. pathol backward curvature of the thoracic spine, of congenital origin or resulting from injury or disease; hunchback See also Pott's disease Compare lordosis scoliosis

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Other Word Forms

• kyphotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of kyphosis

1840–50; < Greek kȳ́phōsis a hunched state, equivalent to kȳph ( ós ) humpbacked + -ōsis -osis

Example Sentences

Kado’s research has shown a clear connection between bone density and posture problems and kyphosis.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2025

Shaye Armour, from Greenock, has congenital kyphosis scoliosis, a condition which causes his spine to bend forward.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2024

And he may have had adolescent kyphosis, a curvature of the spine.

From Fox News • Dec. 15, 2021

His body twisted out of shape by spina bifida and kyphosis, a severe curvature of the spine, he conducted from a tall stool, limited in his ability to turn to either side.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2017

The first of these curvatures is called kyphosis, in which the curvature is posterior; second, lordosis, in which the curvature is anterior; third, scoliosis, in which it is lateral, to the right or left.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)