What causes that stoop in old folk where their head and neck are permanently bent forward?

Question

What causes that stoop in old folk where their head and neck are permanently bent forward?

In: 766

Answer 1

Osteoporosis. With osteoporosis, the bones become so brittle that compression fractures can happen in the vertebral bodies of the spinal column. So the vertebral bodies lose height. But this loss of height is not always equal across the entire vertebra. Instead, the front part of the vertebrae often compresses more than the back part, creating a wedge-shaped bone. Stack a bunch of wedge-shaped bones on top of each other, and you have a curve. This is what is causing the kyphosis.