Body braces showed benefit in a randomised controlled trial.

The Milwaukee brace is one particular body brace that is often used to treat kyphosis in the US. Modern CAD/CAM braces are used in Europe to treat different types of kyphosis. These are much easier to wear and have better in-brace corrections than reported for the Milwaukee brace. Since there are different curve patterns (thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbar), different types of brace are in use, with different advantages and disadvantages.

A diagnosis of kyphosis is generally made through observation and measurement. Idiopathic causes, such as vertebral wedging or other abnormalities, can be confirmed through X-ray. Osteoporosis, a potential cause of kyphosis, can be confirmed with a bone density scan. Postural thoracic kyphosis can often be treated with posture reeducation and focused strengthening exercises. Idiopathic thoracic kyphosis due to vertebral wedging, fractures, or vertebral abnormalities is more difficult to manage, since assuming a correct posture may not be possible with structural changes in the vertebrae. Children who have not completed their growth may show long-lasting improvements with bracing. Exercises may be prescribed to alleviate discomfort associated with overstretched back muscles. A variety of gravity-assisted positions or gentle traction can minimize pain associated with nerve root impingement. Surgery may be recommended for severe idiopathic kyphosis.

Congenital vertebral anomalies are a collection of malformations of the spine. Most around 85% are not clinically significant, but they can cause compression of the spinal cord by deforming the vertebral canal or causing instability. This condition occurs in the womb. Congenital vertebral anomalies include alterations of the shape and number of vertebrae.

Surgery

Surgical intervention is warranted in patients who present with new onset neurological signs and symptoms or have a history of progressive neurological manifestations which can be related to this abnormality. The surgical procedure required for the effective treatment of diastematomyelia includes decompression (surgery) of neural elements and removal of bony spur. This may be accomplished with or without resection and repair of the duplicated dural sacs. Resection and repair of the duplicated dural sacs is preferred since the dural abnormality may partly contribute to the "tethering" process responsible for the symptoms of this condition.

Post-myelographic CT scanning provides individualized detailed maps that enable surgical treatment of cervical diastematomyelia, first performed in 1983.

Observation

Asymptomatic patients do not require surgical treatment. These patients should have regular neurological examinations since it is known that the condition can deteriorate. If any progression is identified, then a resection should be performed.

Diastematomyelia (occasionally diastomyelia) is a congenital disorder in which a part of the spinal cord is split, usually at the level of the upper lumbar vertebra.

Diastematomyelia is a rare congenital anomaly that results in the "splitting" of the spinal cord in a longitudinal (sagittal) direction. Females are affected much more commonly than males. This condition occurs in the presence of an osseous (bone), cartilaginous or fibrous septum in the central portion of the spinal canal which then produces a complete or incomplete sagittal division of the spinal cord into two hemicords. When the split does not reunite distally to the spur, the condition is referred to as a diplomyelia, or true duplication of the spinal cord.

The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate, in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordates has been replaced by a segmented series of bones—vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. The vertebral column houses the spinal canal, a cavity that encloses and protects the spinal cord.

There are about 50,000 species of animals that have a vertebral column. The human vertebral column is one of the most-studied examples.

Gibbus deformity is a form of structural kyphosis typically found in the upper lumbar and lower thoracic vertebrae, where one or more adjacent vertebrae become wedged. Gibbus deformity most often develops in young children as a result of spinal tuberculosis and is the result of collapse of vertebral bodies. This can in turn lead to spinal cord compression causing paraplegia.

In addition to tuberculosis, other possible causes of gibbus deformity include pathological diseases, hereditary and congenital conditions, and physical trauma to the spine that results in injury. Gibbus deformity may result from the sail vertebrae associated with cretinism (the childhood form of hypothyroidism), mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS), and certain congenital syndromes, including achondroplasia. Because most children with MPS I (Hurler Syndrome) also exhibit symptoms of a gibbus deformity, the latter can possibly be used to identify the former.

Gibbus deformity is included in a subset of structural kyphosis that is distinguished by a higher-degree angle in the spinal curve that is specific to these forms of kyphosis. Other conditions within this subset include Pott’s disease and Scheuermann kyphosis, but gibbus deformity is marked by an especially sharp angle. Viewed from behind, the resulting hunchback is more easily seen when bending forward. A kyphosis of >70° can be an indication of the need for surgery and these surgeries can be necessary for children as young as two years old, with a reported average of 8 years of age.

Wobbler disease is a catchall term referring to several possible malformations of the cervical vertebrae that cause an unsteady (wobbly) gait and weakness in dogs and horses. A number of different conditions of the cervical (neck) spinal column cause similar clinical signs. These conditions may include malformation of the vertebrae, intervertebral disc protrusion, and disease of the interspinal ligaments, ligamenta flava, and articular facets of the vertebrae. Wobbler disease is also known as cervical vertebral instability, cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM), and cervical vertebral malformation (CVM). In dogs, the disease is most common in large breeds, especially Great Danes and Doberman Pinschers. In horses, it is not linked to a particular breed, though it is most often seen in tall, race-bred horses of Thoroughbred or Standardbred ancestry. It is most likely inherited to at least some extent in dogs and horses.

Hemivertebrae are wedge-shaped vertebrae and therefore can cause an angle in the spine (such as kyphosis, scoliosis, and lordosis).

Among the congenital vertebral anomalies, hemivertebrae are the most likely to cause neurologic problems. The most common location is the midthoracic vertebrae, especially the eighth (T8). Neurologic signs result from severe angulation of the spine, narrowing of the spinal canal, instability of the spine, and luxation or fracture of the vertebrae. Signs include rear limb weakness or paralysis, urinary or fecal incontinence, and spinal pain. Most cases of hemivertebrae have no or mild symptoms, so treatment is usually conservative. Severe cases may respond to surgical spinal cord decompression and vertebral stabilization.

Associations

Recognised associations are many and include:

Aicardi syndrome,

cleidocranial dysostosis,

gastroschisis 3,

Gorlin syndrome,

fetal pyelectasis 3,

Jarcho-Levin syndrome,

OEIS complex,

VACTERL association.

The probable cause of hemivertebrae is a lack of blood supply causing part of the vertebrae not to form.

Hemivertebrae in dogs are most common in the tail, resulting in a screw shape.

Wobbler disease is also found in horses, where it is often called wobbler's syndrome; it refers to several conditions beyond those listed above and is not by itself a singular disease. Wobblers is a broad term used to describe cervical disorders in the horse, including equine wobbles anemia and cervical vertebral myelopathy, spinal cord compression (sometimes referred to colloquially among horse owners as "cervical arthritis" due to the arthritis that accumulates in facets). It is also used as a catch-all phrase within the horse community to describe a neurological problem that causes limb proprioception issues or decreased performance in the horse that is suspected to be rooted in the neck. Most forms of wobblers disease have a root cause in cervical vertebral myelopathy (CVM), which causes inflammation and arthritis in the joint and is painful to affected horses. At this time it is believed to possibly be a congenital condition. Mounting evidence is growing that points to CVM and other cervical and vertebral disorders (like Kissing Spine) as hereditary and found in populations of specific families. .

Other forms, such as cervical arthritis and equine wobbles anemia, are concentrated in certain breeds and demonstrate possible hereditary factors. Horses with wobbler disease often exhibit ataxia (implying dysfunction of parts of the nervous system), show weakness in the hindquarters, or may knuckle over in their fetlocks, particularly in the rear. They also may show overall stiffness especially in the neck and back and may not move fluidly. A common ataxic symptom is the horse will list to one side behind. They also may demonstrate uneven strides with one leg intermittently shorter in step. Horses with wobblers or cervical anomalies can demonstrate difficult to diagnose lamenesses that come and go, and often are not resolved by veterinary blocks to the limbs. With advanced stages of the disease, affected horses are prone to falling due to extreme listing behind and often demonstrate difficulty getting up from lying down, or reluctance to lie down at all. While some cases are successfully treated with nutritional and medical management, surgery is also used. One method is the use of titanium baskets, placed to fuse the vertebrae, thereby preventing compression of the spinal cord. Some horses are able to return to work, with a few able to reach competitive levels. No complete cure for the condition is known. Famous horses known to have completed basket surgery include Seattle Slew. Seattle Slew underwent two basket surgeries and has sired multiple offspring that have cervical arthritis. He is one of many Thoroughbred stallions to have undergone basket surgery and still be used for stud.

Because wobbler's is the best known of the neurological conditions that affect horses, other, unrelated conditions, such as kissing spine, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and cerebellar abiotrophy, are sometimes misdiagnosed as wobbler's, though the causes and symptoms differ.

Type II should be managed conservatively whereas type I and Ia requires to be treated surgically. Surgery involves four major steps:

- Development of the calcaneal part of the foot

- Repositioning of the navicular bone

- New adjustment of the ankle, and

- Various stabilization measures including the Grice operation and transposition of various tendons.

The vertebral column in dinosaurs consists of the cervical (neck), dorsal (back), sacral (hips), and caudal (tail) vertebrae. Saurischian dinosaur vertebrae sometimes possess features known as pleurocoels, which are hollow depressions on the lateral portions of the vertebrae, perforated to create an entrance into the air chambers within the vertebrae, which served to decrease the weight of these bones without sacrificing strength. These pleurocoels were filled with air sacs, which would have further decreased weight. In sauropod dinosaurs, the largest known land vertebrates, pleurocoels and air sacs may have reduced the animal's weight by over a ton in some instances, a handy evolutionary adaption in animals that grew to over 30 metres in length. In many hadrosaur and theropod dinosaurs, the caudal vertebrae were reinforced by ossified tendons. The presence of three or more sacral vertebrae, in association with the hip bones, is one of the defining characteristics of dinosaurs. The occipital condyle is a structure on the posterior part of a dinosaur's skull which articulates with the first cervical vertebra.

A bifid rib (bifurcated rib or sternum bifidum) is a congenital abnormality of the rib cage and associated muscles and nerves which occurs in about 1.2% of humans. Bifid ribs occur in up to 8.4% of Samoans. The sternal end of the rib is cleaved into two. It is usually unilateral.

Bifid ribs are usually asymptomatic, and are often discovered incidentally by chest X-ray. Effects of this neuroskeletal anomaly can include respiratory difficulties, neurological difficulties, limitations, and limited energy from the stress of needing to compensate for the neurophysiological difficulties. Another association is with odontogenic keratocysts (OKC [a.k.a keratocystic odontogenic tumor (WHO terminology)]) of the jaw which may behave aggressively and have a high propensity to recur when treated with simple enucleation and curettage. When seen together, the patient is likely to have Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (a.k.a. Gorlin-Goltz syndrome) and should be evaluated with this in mind.

The surgery takes place under general anaesthesia and lasts less than 1 hour. The surgeon prepares the locus to the size of the implant after performing a 8-cm axillary incision and inserts the implant beneath the skin. The closure is made in 2 planes.

The implant will replace the pectoralis major muscle, thus enabling the thorax to be symmetrical and, in women, the breast as well. If necessary, especially in the case of women, a second operation will complement the result by the implantation of a breast implant and / or lipofilling.

Lipomodelling is progressively used in the correction of breast and chest wall deformities. In Poland syndrome, this technique appears to be a major advance that will probably revolutionize the treatment of severe cases. This is mainly due to its ability to achieve previously unachievable quality of reconstruction with minimal scaring.

The complete or partial absence of the pectoralis muscle is the malformation that defines Poland Syndrome. It can be treated by inserting a custom implant designed by CAD (computer aided design). A 3D reconstruction of the patient's chest is performed from a medical scanner to design a virtual implant perfectly adapted to the anatomy of each one. The implant is made of medical silicone unbreakable rubber. This treatment is purely cosmetic and does not make up for the patient's imbalanced upper body strength.

The Poland syndrome malformations being morphological, correction by custom implant is a first-line treatment. This technique allows a wide variety of patients to be treated with good outcomes. Poland Syndrome can be associated with bones, subcutaneous and mammary atrophy: if the first, as for pectus excavatum, is successfully corrected by a custom implant, the others can require surgical intervention such as lipofilling or silicone breast implant, in a second operation.

Treatment of congenital clasped thumb includes two types of therapy: conservative and surgical.

A pelvic digit, pelvic finger, or pelvic rib is a rare congenital abnormality in humans, in which bone tissue develops in the soft tissue near the pelvis, resembling a rib or finger and often divided into one or more segments with pseudo-articulations. Pelvic digits are typically benign and asymptomatic, and are usually discovered accidentally. Approximately 41 cases have been reported.

The pelvic digit was first reported by D. Sullivan and W.S. Cornwell in 1974. Pelvic digits may be located at any level of the pelvis, the lower ribs, or even the anterior abdominal wall. It is theorized that pelvic digit anomalies arise during the mesenchymal stage of bone growth, within the first six weeks of embryogenesis. Their formation may result from a failure of the primordium of the coccyx to fuse to the vertebral column, leading to the independent development of a proto-rib structure.

Animal studies have shown that administration of the drugs vinblastine, streptonigrin, triparano, sulfonamide, tetracycline, antihistamines, and antitumor agents to pregnant mothers have resulted in offspring born with iniencephaly. The drug clomiphene, a drug commonly used for ovulation stimulation in fertility treatments, has also been seen to be associated with iniencephaly.

Treatment of all categories of congenital clasped thumbs should start with either serial plaster casting or wearing a static or dynamic splint for a period of six months, while massaging the hand. Extension by splinting shows reduction of the flexion contracture. To gain optimal results, it is important to start this treatment before the age of six months. The result of this therapy is better in less severe deformities. In most uncomplicated cases, a satisfactory result can be gained when splint therapy starts before the age of six months. Splinting should be tried for at least three months and possibly for as long as six months or longer. If the result of splint therapy stagnates, surgery treatment is indicated.

In chiropractic, vertebral subluxation is a purported misalignment of the spinal column, not necessarily visible on X-rays, leading to a set of signs and symptoms sometimes termed vertebral subluxation complex. It has no biomedical basis, lacks clinical meaningfulness, and is categorized as pseudoscientific by leading chiropractic authorities. Traditionally, the "specific focus of chiropractic practice" is the chiropractic subluxation and historical chiropractic practice assumes that a vertebral subluxation or spinal joint dysfunction interferes with the body's function and its innate intelligence, as promulgated by D. D. Palmer, the inventor of chiropractic.

The chiropractic subluxation is the heart of the split between "straight" and "mixer" chiropractors. Straight chiropractors continue to follow Palmer's vitalistic tradition, claiming that subluxation has considerable health effects and also adding a visceral component to the definition, while mixers, as exemplified by the United Kingdom's General Chiropractic Council, consider it a historical concept with no evidence identifying it as the cause of disease.

Within the chiropractic tradition, a vertebral subluxation complex is believed to be a dysfunctional biomechanical spinal segment which actively alters neurological function, which in turn, is believed to lead to neuromusculoskeletal and visceral disorders. The WHO acknowledges this difference between the medical and chiropractic definitions of a subluxation: medical doctors only refer to "significant structural displacements" as subluxations, whereas chiropractors suggest that a dysfunctional segment, whether displaced significantly or not, should be referred to as a subluxation. This difference has been noted in the proceedings of the chiropractic profession's "Mercy Center Consensus Conference": "The chiropractic profession refers to this concept as a 'subluxation'. This use of the word "subluxation" should not be confused with the term's precise anatomic usage, which considers only the anatomical relationships."

The chiropractic vertebral subluxation complex has been a source of controversy since its inception in 1895 due to the lack of empirical evidence for its existence, its metaphysical origins, and claims of its far reaching effects on health and disease. Although some chiropractic associations and colleges support the concept of subluxation, many in the chiropractic profession reject it and shun the use of this term as a diagnosis. In the United States and in Canada the term "nonallopathic lesion" may be used in place of "subluxation".

A 2009 review concluded that epidemiologic evidence does not support the chiropractic subluxation, concluding:

In 2015, internationally accredited chiropractic colleges from Bournemouth University, University of South Wales, University of Southern Denmark, University of Zürich, Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropraxie, and University of Johannesburg made an open statement which included: "The teaching of the vertebral subluxation complex as a vitalistic construct that claims that it is the cause of disease is unsupported by evidence. Its inclusion in a modern chiropractic curriculum in anything other than an historic context is therefore inappropriate and unnecessary".

It has been proposed that a vertebral subluxation can negatively affect general health by altering the neurological communication between the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. Although individuals may not always be symptomatic, straight chiropractors believe that the presence of vertebral subluxation is in itself justification for correction via spinal adjustment.

Chiropractic treatment of vertebral subluxation focuses on delivering a chiropractic adjustment which is a high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) thrust to the dysfunctional spinal segments to help correct the chiropractic subluxation complex. Spinal adjustment is the primary procedure used by chiropractors in the adjustment. Adjustment/manipulation has been shown to help with low back pain, neck pain and tension type headaches, but further studies are inconclusive on the use of spinal manipulation outside the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal disorders.

Rocker bottom foot, also known as congenital vertical talus, is an anomaly of the foot. It is characterized by a prominent calcaneus (heel bone) and a convex rounded bottom of the foot. It gets its name from the foot's resemblance to the bottom of a rocking chair.

It can be associated with Edwards' syndrome (trisomy 18), Patau syndrome (trisomy 13), Trisomy 9 and mutation in the gene HOXD10.

It can also be associated with Charcots foot.

Pregnant mothers are advised to take folic acid supplements to reduce risk of iniencephaly by up to 70%. Pregnant mothers are also advised not to take antiepileptic drugs, diuretics, antihistamines, and sulfa drugs, all of which have been associated with increased risk for neural tube defects.

Simple surgical excision is curative. The recommended treatment is that the skin is peeled off the extra-auricular tissue and protruding cartilage remnants are trimmed. Normal appearance is achieved in majority of cases. The reconstruction successful in true cases of accessory auricle, as it also is in individuals with auricular appendages.

An accessory auricle is considered a developmental anomaly resulting from the persistence of a structure which variably recapitulates the normal external ear.