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Scheuermann's disease can be a painful, life-limiting disease. This is not a disease that "you can grow out of", that "goes away on its own", or "is only an adolescent disease", as many doctors unfamiliar with the rare disease will tell you. Scheuermann's can be life-threatening as the curvature can impact a person's heart, lungs, and virtually all vital organs. In addition, the severe long-term chronic pain and debilitating secondary health problems can lead to bouts of depression.

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  Scheuermann’s Disease Fund

The Scheuermann’s Disease Fund was created to improve the public's awareness and recognition of this spinal malalignment, work towards improving early detection in adolescents, and to work with the medical community to better understand the long-term secondary effects Scheuermann's can cause.

  Independent filmmaker’s visit aims to draw awareness to rare spinal disease

Sixteen years ago, Cassie Phillips had no idea that she would one day be filming the man she turned to for information about a rare disease afflicting both. “Even if it’s a generation after me, I feel there will be better treatment,” Phillips said. “Doug has changed the game for us,” she said. “Without him, none of this would be here, pointing people toward resources, educating people. Without doubt there wouldn’t be any moving forward.”

Articles of Interest

Current concepts on Scheuermann kyphosis: Clinical presentation, diagnosis and controversies around treatment

In 1920, after examining the back of a 16-year-old farmer, Holger Scheuermann described the presence of a stiff and painful kyphosis of the thoracic spine which was clinically and radiologically distinguishable from postural kyphosis. He called it “juvenile kyphosis dorsalis” and only much later would this entity come to be known as “Scheuermann's disease”.1,2 Since then, this disease has been the subject of great orthopaedic interest as the cause of pain and, more importantly, significant deformity, which in some cases can be progressive.3 In 1964, Sorensen established the radiographic diagnosis of Scheuermann's kyphosis by the presence of anterior wedging greater than or equal to 5° in at least 3 consecutive vertebrae.4,5 Other characteristic findings include increased thoracic kyphosis, disc impingement and irregularities in the vertebral end plates with formation of intraspongious hernias (Schmorl nodes).

Health Check: can bad posture give you a hunchback?

A hunchback – medically termed kyphosis or hyperkyphosis in the extreme – is an abnormal forward curvature in the upper back. There are many types, such as the severe form of an inherited bone disease called Scheuermann’s. This is likely what Quasimodo – or the Hunchback of Notre Dame – would have suffered from. Around 0.4% to 8% of the population are thought to suffer from Scheuermann’s disease.

In old men Scheuermann’s disease is not associated with neck or back pain: a Swedish cohort study

Scheuermann’s disease is reported with a prevalence between 0.4% and 25.0% . The disease becomes usually apparent in puberty, when a hyperkyphosis develops in the thoracic spine, with or without a compensatory hyperlordosis in the lumbar spine. The disease is linked to a dominant autosomal genetic component, with a heritability of 74%, and is reported with no sex difference, and up to double male prevalence .

Is It A Simple Case of Slouching or Is It Scheuermann's Disease?

Slouching, hunching forward or rounded back is often considered just poor posture. In many cases, it is the result of a rarely recognized condition called SCHEUERMANN’S DISEASE. Similar to Scoliosis, Scheuermann’s Disease is a structural exaggerated forward curvature in children and adolescents that can progress into adulthood.

Q&A with Tom: Scheuermann’s kyphosis

Scheuermann’s kyphosis gets set in childhood and involves a literal shape change in the vertebrae, wedging shorter in front and thus creating the kyphosis in the back. It would be helpful have a picture from the side in gym shorts – I could be more exacting since treatment specificity depends on where the apex of the curve is.

Scheuermann's Disease in Young Adults: A Case Report

It is named after Dr. Hans-Gerd von Scheuermann, who first described the disease in 1961. The disease can also affect the arms, hands, and fingers, as well as the hip and knee joints. There are several different types of Scheuermann's disease, including epiphyseal and atrophic. Most patients with Scheuermann's disease have no signs or symptoms when they have mild cases of the disease.

Turning pain into purpose, fighting back against Scheuermann's Disease

If you've been diagnosed with Scheuermann's Disease, you are not alone. A Washington County man has been living with the rare spinal disease for more than 40 years and he started the only nonprofit organization in the world that's helping others with the same diagnosis.

What is Scheuermann’s Disease?

This disorder most commonly occurs between the ages of 12 and 15 and it almost always manifests in the thoracic spine. That being said, there have also been cases in which the condition first arose in the lumbar spine. Although the precise cause of Scheuermann’s disease remains unknown, researchers suggest that genetics play a role.

Resources

Physiopedia

The most significant feature of patients with Scheuermann’s disease is the thoracic kyphosis. Often the kyphosis is accompanied by a lumbar and/or cervical hyperlordosis.

Radiopaedia

Its exact etiology is unknown but a proposed mechanism is by osteonecrosis of the vertebral apophyseal rings. Excessive axial spine load due to heavy weightlifting may also contribute. There is a strong hereditary predisposition (perhaps autosomal dominant) with a high degree of penetrance and variable expressivity.

RadSource

The prevalence of SD is reported to be between 1% and 8% with a self-reported incidence of about 3%. Although some studies report a male predominance, the literature is variable on this point. Several theories exist regarding the etiology of SD.

StatPearls

Scheuermann kyphosis, also known as Scheuermann disease, juvenile kyphosis, or juvenile discogenic disease, is a condition involving an abnormal, excessive curvature of the spine. It involves both the vertebral bodies and discs of the spine and is characterized by anterior wedging of greater than or equal to 5 degrees in 3 or more adjacent vertebral bodies.