The ideal spine has a little bend to it, as a healthy spine tends to curve inwards in the lower back before starting to curve back outward near the midback. This slight curve helps to keep your center of gravity balanced over your hips and pelvis, ensuring that stress is dispersed as it should.
However, due to injury and natural degeneration, this gentle “S” curve can shift, causing you to have too flat or too pronounced of a curve. When your spine gets out of a healthy alignment due to flattening or over curvature, this is known as a sagittal imbalance. Today, we take a closer look at why sagittal imbalance can develop, and what you can do to treat the issue.
Causes And Symptoms Of Sagittal Imbalance
The underlying cause of sagittal imbalance involves a flattening or overpronounced curvature of the spine, but a number of different issues can lead to the onset of this curvature issue. For example, sagittal imbalance can be caused by:
- Natural spinal degeneration
- Spinal degeneration expedited by injury or trauma
- Genetic conditions
- Osteoporosis-related spinal changes
- Spinal arthritis
- An underlying curvature disorder like kyphosis or lordosis
- Failed spinal surgery
Sagittal imbalance doesn’t always present with obvious symptoms. While more pronounced cases may involve back pain and discomfort, some of the more subtle signs of sagittal imbalance include balance problems, difficulty walking, fatigue and difficulty looking straight ahead for an extended period.
Diagnosing And Treating Sagittal Imbalance
Sagittal imbalance issues should be treated proactively, because odds are the curvature issue will only continue to worsen if left untreated. This can also cause the muscles and soft tissues in your spine to work harder to try to support your spinal column. This can lead to muscle weakness, loss of spinal stability and increase your risk of problems like joint injuries and fractures.
The first step in treatment involves getting a comprehensive diagnosis from a spine specialist like Dr. Jackman. He’ll begin by conducting a physical exam and by asking about your symptoms. Odds are he’ll assess your posture while seated and standing, and he may have you perform a few simple movement tests. Finally, he may opt to get a closer look at the inner workings of your spine with the help of an imaging test like an X-ray or MRI.
Treatment will depend on the root cause of your sagittal imbalance, but in most instances, conservative care is the first line of treatment. Your doctor will walk you through a personalized treatment plan, but many people find success through a combination of options like posture improvements, activity modification, targeted physical therapy and diet and exercise improvements to spur weight loss in order to take stress off the spinal column.
In more severe cases, or in instances where non-operative care fails to provide pain relief, a surgical procedure may be recommended. Oftentimes this procedure involves fusing one or more spinal segments in order to reinforce the spinal column and limit mobility at a section that could be contributing to your curvature disorder. However, your specific procedure will be dictated by your treating surgeon based on your individual needs.
If you believe that you’re dealing with sagittal imbalance or a curvature disorder in your spine, don’t wait until the issue worsens to seek treatment. Instead, connect with a spine specialist like Dr. Jackman to get a specific diagnosis and begin an effective treatment plan. For more information, or for help with a different spinal issue, reach out to Dr. Jackman and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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