Symptoms of Kyphosis

Symptoms of kyphosis vary depending on its cause, severity, and where it is in the spine.

Although kyphosis is most common in the thoracic spine, or mid-back, it can also form in the cervical spine (neck) and lumbar (low back).

Some symptoms of kyphosis are:

• A visible hump on the back
• Back pain, ranging from mild to severe, especially as the body compensates for the excessive bend
• Chest pain and heart failure
• Fatigue
• Loss of bladder and bowel control, from nerve damage
• Nerve impingement that leads to weakness or numbness in the legs
• Rounded shoulders
• Shortness of breath or other breathing difficulties from compression of the lungs
• Spine stiffness
• Tight hamstrings (the muscles in the back of the thigh)
• Weakness, tingling, or loss of sensation in other areas of the body, depending on which nerves are impinged

A person with kyphosis in the cervical spine may also have:

• Limited neck rotation
• Neck pain, ranging from mild to severe
• Visual shape changes in the neck, from mild to extreme deformity

Reviewed by: Kai-Ming Fu, MD, PhD
Last reviewed/last updated: August 2021