Kyphosis is Modifiable
Evidence from four studies demonstrated that kyphosis may improve after
receiving an exercise intervention. Less consistent evidence suggested a
parallel improvement in QOL with the improvement of kyphosis. In two
clinical trials of older adults with osteoporosis, an exercise
intervention improved kyphosis but showed no impact on the adults’
QOL.31,33 In two RCT designed studies that evaluated
an exercise intervention among adolescents8 and older
adults,32 the results showed an improvement in the
kyphosis angle and QOL measures among participants receiving the
intervention compared to no changes among the control group. Although it
has been well documented that exercise improves QOL, our results suggest
that the improvement in QOL may not be limited to the exercise itself,
but also the improvement in posture. For example, the double-blind
controlled (but not randomized) study of Jang, Hughes, Oh, Kim32 showed a time*group interaction that supported an
association between kyphosis and QOL in spite of exercise in both
groups. Moreover, in the study by Noh et al.,8improved QOL was not demonstrated in the control group exercise
condition. Thus, kyphosis may be modifiable following an intervention
and may be a sensitive indicator of QOL.