Camptocormia: New Signs in an Old Syndrome

Camptocormia is defined as an involuntary flexion of the thoracolumbar spine, without fixed kyphosis, which increases during walking and standing, and abates in the supine position. First described during World War 1 in soldiers suffering from war psychoneuroses, camptocormia has progressively come to refer to any cause of trunk forward-flexed posture during standing and ambulation. It is now admitted that camptocormia should be considered as a syndrome related to many etiologies. In this chapter, we present the historical aspects of the syndrome and its main etiologies. We highlight camptocormia in Parkinson disease and its relationships with Pisa syndrome.