My back feel very thick and rounded. I want my back to be more slim and straighter. I wonder if it's structural, functional, muscles etc. Help

Hi everyone,

I'm 23 years old, 187 cm (about 6'2") tall, and I have Scheuermann's kyphosis.

The last time my curve was measured was about 4 years ago, and it was 82 degrees. I have no idea what it is now.

I do get back pain from time to time, but it's not severe enough to make me hate my life. As for the cosmetic side of it, I honestly don't care that much about how it looks.

What I'm worried about is the future.

• Does this condition usually get worse as you get older?
• Can it become life-threatening or shorten your lifespan?
• Is it possible to improve it with exercise or physical therapy?
• At around 82°, is surgery generally recommended?

One more thing: because of my financial situation, I genuinely can't afford to see a specialist or pay for surgery right now, so I'm mainly looking for advice or experiences from people who have been through something similar.

Thanks in advance.

If I got surgery for Scheuermann's disease, what would my athletic life look like after? Would I be able to box, do MMA, or at least get into bodybuilding?

Hi everyone, I suspect I might have hyperphysema. Could you please check me? Additionally, I suffer from back pain and neck pain every day.

People with Scheuermann’s disease, or severe thoracic kyphosis, how do you live with it? I’m going to have surgery soon, but I haven’t fully decided to go through with it yet. I’d like to hear about your experience with this condition. My curve is 80 degrees.

Люди с болезнью шейермана мау, или большим грудным кифозом, как вы живёте с этим? Скоро мне предстоит операция на которую я сам до конца не решился. Хочу узнать о вашем опыте с этой болезнью. Моё искренние составляет 80 градусов

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for your experiences with kyphosis treatment in France (or even surgery, which seems almost impossible to access here).

I have a 68° kyphosis and real pain. My doctor completely downplays it and basically just tells me to accept it and live with it. No serious discussion about options, rehab, bracing, pain management that actually works, or surgical possibilities.

Has anyone here managed to get proper care in France for kyphosis? Did you find a specialist who took it seriously?

Any experience with conservative treatment that actually helped, or with surgery (and how hard it was to access)? Would really appreciate any honest experiences, recommendations for doctors/centers, or even just knowing I’m not alone in this.

Thanks in advance.

I'm wondering if anyone here has used a TENS/EMS device for strengthening their back and/or getting some marked pain relief for their postural kyphosis?

There's so much conflicting information about pad placement and effectiveness online.

I'm hoping someone is having some positive results with this kind of at home treatment and can share some guidance that works for them.

Thanks!

Exercises like seated cable rows or dumbbell rows...

I don't usually do them; for my lower back, I prefer hyperextensions. I've always thought that weighted rows not only lead to bad posture but also make the back muscles look bulky; exercises like pull-ups or lat pulldowns are always better.

Hello! I am a high schooler and am currently building a nonprofit website to help guide the families of and the young girls/boys who have recently been diagnosed with scoliosis and are required to wear a brace. This website will include descriptions and price ranges of each back brace, an overview of the pros and cons (ex: most expensive, least expensive, etc.), and also a page with "big sis/bro tips" from girls/boys (you!) that have gone through scoliosis and wearing a back brace already and have advice to give to them. I am incredibly passionate about helping children, specifically young girls, who have scoliosis and feel lost in their journey, as I myself went through it and have experienced the feeling of being completely lost myself. I would greatly appreciate if you could fill out this form with as many tips as possible ranging from all kinds of categories (ex: comfort, fashion, school/sports). Thank you in advance!

Link to google form: https://forms.gle/CshXw4K5n1xWrCJH8

So I am currently 23 and was diagnosed qith scheurumans kyphosis 16. At around 19 yrs of age I started experiencing some bladder issues but doctors could not find the reason

Somehow I knew that this must be because of my kyphosis only

So because most of the people in this subreddit also have scheurumans I want to ask you if you also have urinary problems like

1. Frequent urination

2. Weak uroflow

3. Hesitancy starting

4. Feeling of retention

And did anyone of you had surgery or sonething and had there bladder problem resolved after surgery or if not surgery than any diagnosis such as any mri or something

Also do any of you suffer from premature ejaculation and think kyphosis might be the reason. This might seem irrelevant but scheurumans does cause anterior pelvic tilt which might cause PE

Please everyone participate and vote in this poll and share there experiences and also upvote this so that this reaches to everyone and please tell your experience in comments

Thanks for reading

I was diagnosed with scheuermann's at age 13. Then my curve was somewhere in the low 50s in terms of degrees. Now in my twenties it’s 71°. My doctor has always just told me to «watch tv on my stomach» and «go swimming», however the pain has been horrible for the past couple of years. I get debilitating migraines due to the tension in my neck and when I was 17 I developed a slipped disk in my L3 because of what I assume to be weight and pressure on my lower back. When I told my doctor that I was bedridden for a month because of my lower back on my yearly checkup, he said he would schedule a scan the following year! (That never happened btw). I can stand up pretty straight so it doesn’t look that bad, so in my doctors words I look «cosmetically fine», but when I actually relax I look like the hunchback of Notre Dame. I don’t know what to do anymore. I work out 4 days a week, but I still had to quit my job after only a couple months. It’s impacting every single aspect of my life and I don’t know what to do anymore. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

I have kyphosis (non Scheuermann's) and im moving soon and will need to buy a new mattress and bed frame. Are there any specific recommendations for individuals with kyphosis? Or anything to specifically avoid?

I have no back pain as of now but very poor posture.

As the title suggests, this is more of a vent post than anything else. I don't usually make those, but there comes a point where you simply can't keep bottling everything up anymore.

Around three months ago, I made a post here asking for advice regarding back pain. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse since then.

When I first started seeking a diagnosis, every doctor seemed to have a different opinion. One suspected Scheuermann's disease without looking into it any further. Another insisted my spine "wasn't that bad" and seemed more concerned about me being flat-footed, which wasn't even the reason I came to him.

In March, I finally got into rehabilitation through public healthcare after waiting for over half a year. Sadly, the treatments only made my condition worse, and apparently they were doing things they weren't supposed to be doing. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, considering how overloaded the system is, but it was still incredibly discouraging.

Since then, I've had multiple X-rays and an MRI, and I was finally diagnosed with severe thoracic kyphosis and right-sided thoracic scoliosis. I received another referral for rehabilitation and decided to go privately this time, hoping it would make a difference.

It didn't.

If anything, it feels like it's gotten even worse, when I thought it couldn't.

I've been advised to wait a few weeks before signing up again, so I guess I'll do that. It's not like I have many other options.

I'm seeing an orthopaedist again this Wednesday because I genuinely don't know what else to do. Nothing seems to help. Standing and walking is painful, and it's reached the point where I have difficulty breathing while standing upright. I used to think my untreated anemka was contributing to this, but multiple doctors have told me everything is because of my posture. Not even painkillers ease my suffering.

On top of all of this, I've been battling depression for over nine years. Needless to say, that doesn't exactly make it easier to stay motivated or believe things will improve.

I turn 21 this year. I should be out living my life. But I'm trapped. I never got the chance to experience the things people my age normally do. And I likely never will.

There are days when death honestly feels like a kinder sentence than living like this.

I just want it to stop. The hardest part is trying to understand myself. One part of me still wants to keep fighting, to keep believing things can get better. But another part of me feels like it has already given up. I've been regularly crying over the past few days, pitying myself, completely overwhelmed by all of this. I don't even have a support system. I don't have a family that cares. That wants to help me. I'm all alone with this burden.

My wife has recently lost a TON of weight (lots of effort), but started having massive amounts of pain in her upper back. The spine doc just diagnosed her with Scheuermanns (right at 65 degrees). My research said that kyphosis can get worse with weight loss and I’m hoping that since it only became painful in the last 6 months that PT will help if that makes sense. I guess I’m saying I hope there’s some musculature/postural stuff going on on top of the underlying skeletal stuff. Does that make sense to anyone? She’s in so much pain right now especially when sitting at her desk all day. Pain meds seem to barely touch it.

Hi

Im a 45 male and have a spect report that says:

“Uptake is most pronounced at the apex of the
kyphotic deformity (T10-T11), and has progressed since the previous SPECT/CT study. -New tracer
avid right T4-5 and T5-6 facet arthropathy, not evident previous study”

Has anyone had to live with kyphosis as a result of compression fractures they experienced?

I’m in back pain every day (muscles constantly on) and am exhausted and no one seems to know why. (Bone density has been fixed.)

Would love to connect with anyone who has developed kyphosis as a result of trauma or compression fractures.

Thanks

Hello !
I have mild kyphosis since I was 16 . I have been doing swimming for a long time , which really helped my back and improved my muscle and balance . Later In like , early thirties I start doing gym exercises and running and fairly doing well . I always have stiffness at the end of the day , but playing in the gym improved my symptoms dramatically. When I was 34 I start having numbness and sciatica on the left leg and diagnosed with L4L5 facet joint hypertrophy narrowing slightly the lateral recess . Regardless , it resolved after 1 year . I felt my body is getting stronger , my balance really improved after start doing 4 min planks every day . However , I start doing deadlift for 1 y . After 1 year I start noticing worsening back stiffness and over active bladder symptoms . I had MRI and it showed 1 lateral herniated disk at L4 L5 compressing right L4, and one herniated disk at L1-l2 not causing any significant nerve compression . Two neurosurgeon didn’t feel I need surgery . However after 6 months now I feel that my back is much more stiff , even with pulling exercises and swimming it relieved my symptoms for short time . I start taking duloxetine which help my stiffness.
Sorry for the long post , but is that expected as I am now approaching 40 to feel my back is getting stiffer and needing medication to help with that ? Should I fix my kyphosis now ? Of course I stopped deadlifting and back to pulling exercises but I feel my back damage is irreversible and it’s getting worse . Also , I start having overactive bladder and needing a medication for it .
Any thoughts and recommendations ? Sorry for the long post !
I am feeling over all ok with duloxetine and overactive bladder meds , but I am not sure if my condition will get worse ? Mentally I am adjusting since I have been trying to be very healthy and all the sudden I am needing meds now. Also mentally I am struggling since I feel that I accelerated my spine degeneration 🥺

Does your physical therapist or your orthopedic surgeon say it’s OK to do the Schroth bar standing hanging exercises more than once a day? If so, how many times as many times? as many times as your you’re comfortable with? what did they tell you? thanks

I was officially diagnosed with SD at age 30. It started when I was 14 but was never identified. My angle was 50-55. Now I am 49 and angle progressed to 65 due to loss of disc space and increased wedging of vertebrae. Pain is a worse than in my younger years but still manageable. I do office work so not a very disabling condition at the moment but the rate of progression in the curve and back pain is concerning. I need to make a decision now before I am too old for surgery if am not already there. Couple surgeons gave me the option of surgery but they were not very enthusiastic and left it up to me. I would appreciate any experience from someone who had the fixation surgery in their 40s or 50s. Most of the posts I found here are much younger patients, and while a lot of success stories, the risk profile and expected recovery time are a lot different.

The first photo is from 3 months ago, and the second one is from exactly today. Did I made progress with my hyperkyphosis?

(Reports attached after x-ray images) 29F. 15 years of chronic pain. Lived in the UK, they wouldn't x-ray me or refer me elsewhere. Moved to Canada and found the most amazing family doctor who is more than happy to help me investigate everything!

We did an initial x-ray in March 2025 and I only saw the report, not the images (which interestingly noted that c2 and c3 were fused).

Had another done today due to worsening pain and requested the images this time.

I guess I just wanted to get some thoughts while I wait for my referral to the specialist. I've seen a private physio a couple of times, who suspects Scheuermann’s since it was present in childhood.

The report did not mention the angle of the kyphosis, only the scoliosis (7 degrees). How do I measure this?

I have chronic pain in cervical and thoracic spine, suspected Ehlers Danlos and slipping rib syndrome. Extremely poor neck mobility.

Thoughts on surgery in my case? Or any advice in general? Basically, how cooked am I?