What can I do about curved/hunched back in 13yo DS

[EllenPooleSearch]

My DS is 13 and over the past year it has become more and more noticeable that he has a curve in his back. It’s there all the time but most obvious when he sits on a chair, as his back is almost C shaped! It’s not just me that can see it - other people have commented, and when DS looked at photos of himself sitting he was quite shocked.

I have reminded him many times to think about his posture, but he says sitting straight feels uncomfortable, and he inevitably relapses after about 30 seconds. He has been to the GP, who says there’s no obvious physiological cause, and nothing really we can do except keep reminding him.

Aside from the fact that reminding isn’t working, excess nagging from me obviously also isn’t ideal for building a positive relationship with a teenager! But I am worried that if we don’t tackle this now, he will end up with an actual hunch - his paternal grandfather has a very noticeable one, and his dad is well on the way to having one too (which he hates), which is why I thought there might be some hereditary cause.

Is there anything else we can try? A back support garment of some kind? Some exercises? Some kind of chair support? Anything?? I hoped the GP might refer him to physio but she didn’t (in fact I got the impression she thought it was a non-issue). Is it worth looking for a private physio? Thanks very much for any advice.

Has he actually had any x-rays?
It could be a form of scoliosis or similar.

In many places you can self refer to physio now. If not I’d go back to the GP and ask for referral. Just because there is no obvious reason beyond behaviour doesn’t mean they can’t help
him. If it’s long waits/you aren’t referred for some reason yes I’d see someone privately.

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Scoliosis is serious, get a GP referral to orthopaedic consultant.

Request a referral to a paediatrician or an orthopaedic consultant. Teenage years are the time to properly investigate before he stops growing.

This needs looking into while his bones still have some plasticity.

Does he play the piano?

Is he hyper mobile? I find that it is uncomfortable to hold my body in mid range and tend to hold it in one extreme of range or another. Because of the more extreme range of movement in hyper mobility it takes much more muscle effort to hold the body in a neutral position.

Things I would do. I'd second a referral to physio as specific exercises may make it easier to hold his back/neck .

Check the position of any screens he is using. This may be encouraging a slouched curved position.

No, but the GP examined him and said she didn’t think it was this. I could push for further investigations I suppose.

Thanks for this - I’m happy to go private if that’s what’s needed. I just wasn’t sure whether physio would actually help.

Has he had any backache? Might be worth seeing a private physio just to see their perspective

I’m a bit conflicted on this one as DH tried this exact thing in his 30s and absolutely loathed it. Said it was hot, uncomfortable, gave him spots/a rash, and was embarrassing at the gym. It made no difference to his back and he gave up after a few weeks. I’d prefer not to put DS through that if there’s an alternative!

Er… yes he does! Why, out of interest?

Lots of people are saying to push for further investigations. I will see what I can do. But if it turns out to be just postural, I’d like to know if there’s any way to tackle it. How do I find out what works?

Is he on tech a lot such as phones/tablets etc...... hunching down and looking down can cause massive issues for back and neck.

I don’t think he’s hyper mobile, no. He does say it’s uncomfortable (not painful) to sit up straight though. Maybe he’s just not used to it.

He’s not very frequently on screens but you’re right that when he is, or when he’s reading or eating, he’s particularly slumped.

OK, my shortlist of things to do is:

• Request further investigations if possible
• Find a private physio and see what they can do

Anything else I should try?

Much as it pains me to say it (as I know it's not everybody's favourite thing), exercise. He needs to strengthen his back muscles, his core muscles and learn where his shoulder blades should be instead of poking out like wings - his posterior chain.

A physio is a good start, swimming is also good, as is using the machines at the gym, particularly the pec deck/flye and lat pulldown machine. Even leaning back over a foam roller can help (and can give the most amazing clunking sounds).

He needs to follow the physio's instructions religiously every day, though. It's waste of money for him to go there once a week only to not bother with the exercises outside the sessions 'because it hurt' isn't enough - they're supposed to feel a bit uncomfortable or they're not making any changes.

I had the same issue and have been given exercises to strengthen and align. You need the targeted advice of a physiotherapist

He may just have a naturally curved spine...It happens...I have one myself (didn't even know until it was pointed out by a GP until age 30). However, it has never caused me any issues. The only thing i'm disappointed about is that I'm not another 2 inches taller...😊

I believe if the curve is at the top is known as Kyphosis. So maybe worth researching on Google.

He should have some X-rays. My daughter had a curvature which was caused by her vertebrae being wedge shaped rather than oblong so as she grew the curve grew more pronounced. GP was rubbish, when we finally got a referral to orthopaedics we were told that a brace could have been an option if it had been diagnosed before her growth spurt. She had surgery.

Ask Dr/Physio about Scheuermann’s Kyphosis.

Typically starts in adolescence (age 10-15), boys more often affected and often has genetic component as can run in families.

Thanks very much for this. The thing that surprises me is, he’s already pretty sporty. He swims a lot and does several other sports too. I’ll see what I can do about the physio (and then start nagging him to do the exercises!)

This is what I was worried about! But GP says no sign of it. Would it show on an x-ray?

My ds has mild scoliosis and degenerative discs. It was picked up on an xray after an injury. His symptoms are mostly pain. The physio we saw could see it right away, where as the GP couldn’t.
We were referred by the xray team to the orthopaedic department where he had an mri, diagnosis and treatment is physio focusing on strengthening his core and legs.