Dowager’s Hump (hyperkyphosis) is an excessive curvature of the thoracic spine that causes your neck and back to become hunched forward and causes pain throughout your body.
However, you can improve or even reverse a Dowager’s Hump caused by poor posture by strengthening your upper back and neck muscles with simple exercises such as these:
1. Wall Push-Ups
Wall push ups are a fantastic exercise to combat Dowager’s Hump by strengthening the pectoral muscles. Begin by standing with feet shoulder-width apart facing a wall. Bend your elbows slowly as you lower yourself towards it until your fingertips almost touch it before pushing back up and repeat. To increase difficulty of this exercise, add additional distance between feet – just don’t move too close as it won’t give as much benefit from stretching!
This exercise can also be done without relying on walls; simply place your hands on the edge of a table or elevated surface and inhale as you lower yourself to its edge, exhale as you push yourself back up, and repeat for desired number of sets and reps.
Experienced exercisers may wish to switch up their routine with one-arm pushups, which strengthen all areas of the body simultaneously. You should only attempt this advanced form if you feel comfortable performing multiple sets and reps of standard wall pushups; additionally, this exercise can also serve as an indicator for muscle imbalances or muscular imbalances in either arm.
Bridge is another straightforward yet effective posture-improvement exercise to address Dowager’s Hump. This core-strengthening movement can be done right from your own home without needing special equipment or resources.
This move can be completed by lying flat on your back and tightening stomach muscles. While this move won’t significantly change the look of a Dowager’s Hump, it may alleviate pressure from neck and upper back tension that often contributes to discomfort.
Muscle building takes time and consistent effort, often taking months or years before noticing noticeable differences in your Dowager’s Hump. By making practicing these exercises a daily priority, however, you can improve posture while relieving strain off of neck and shoulders. If symptoms continue, consult with a chiropractor or healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment advice.
2. Chin Tucks
Neck humps affect up to 40% of those over 40, often caused by poor posture, long hours spent sitting for work or simply natural aging. Luckily, this condition can easily be avoided or reversed with regular exercise; engaging in strengthening exercises strengthens muscles in the neck, reduces stiffness and pain levels while encouraging proper alignment.
Dowager’s hump can create an unsightly hunch in your neck and upper back, leading to pain, discomfort and poor posture. A physical therapist can teach simple exercises that target weak neck muscles due to excessive forward head posture resulting in Dowager’s hump; these include chin tucks and resistance band stretches.
The chin tuck stretch is an easy and effective neck exercise designed to target small muscles of your neck and chest that have become weak due to excessive forward head posture. To perform it, simply pull your chin in toward your chest as though trying to create a double chin and feel an immediate lengthening in both of these regions of the body.
Increase the difficulty of this exercise by holding onto a resistance band and stretching it behind you, or try lying on a mat and raising both arms overhead to push against a wall – both options should help increase its difficulty. After performing several sets of 10 repetitions of either exercise, you should begin seeing improvement in neck alignment and severity of Dowager’s Hump.
As well as these basic exercises, you may also try placing your hands on the front of your neck and gently pulling down with your fingers to stretch the muscles therein. While this may feel good and give a stretch to those tight muscles of your neck and upper back area, be careful to not overdo this method; just enough stretching should do without straining delicate structures in either region of the body.
3. Scapular Squeezes
Sitting for long periods at a computer, with poor posture or without stretching can cause your upper back to round forward and form what’s known as Dowager’s Hump – also referred to as Thoracic Hyperkyphosis or Dowager’s Hump. Although you don’t have to live with this condition forever – physical therapy can help address it!
Dowager’s hump refers to an abnormal curvature of your upper spine that begins at the thoracic vertebrae – running from your neck base down through to your abdomen – that begins in your thoracic vertebrae. While most of us will experience some rounding in our thoracic spines, excessive thoracic kyphosis can be painful and limit mobility while having adverse impacts on disc health and mobility.
Thoracic hyperkyphosis may have various causes, from degenerative changes due to age to arthritis, spinal infections or calcifications in ligaments causing them to change shape in your spine. Other possible sources include Scheuermann’s Kyphosis (congenital problem) or trauma to your spine.
Thoracic hyperkyphosis is typically caused by poor posture, particularly slouching or hunching over. When these activities take place, muscles that support your upper back and neck can come under constant tension, weakening over time allowing more than necessary curvature in your spine.
Strengthening exercises and stretches for your neck, back, and shoulders can help improve the position of your spine and relieve symptoms associated with Dowager’s Hump. Effective thoracic spine stretches and exercises include the quadruped stretch, chin tucks, and scapular squeezes.
The Quadruped Stretch strengthens your core while alleviating Dowager’s Hump by stretching your spine in an opposite direction of its round hunch. To perform this exercise, stand with feet hip-width apart while holding light weights in each hand and bend forward at hips to approximately 45-degree angles while simultaneously extending arms in front and squeezing shoulder blades together until holding position for 3 to 5 seconds before returning back to starting position and repeat.
4. Doorway Pectoral Stretches
Dowager’s Hump, commonly referred to as an unsightly protrusion at the back of one’s neck, can not only be unsightly but can also cause physical discomfort and pain. Poor posture is usually to blame; other causes could include osteoporosis, congenital issues or Scheuermann’s Kyphosis. No matter its source, Dowager’s Hump can often be reversed to some degree through exercise and good posture – here are a few simple exercises and stretches that could help alleviate its condition:
Tight chest muscles are often responsible for hunched shoulders, as they pull the shoulders inward and perpetuate poor posture. One effective method of relieving tightness in these areas is stretching pectoral muscles regularly; one such effective stretch is called the Doorway Pec Stretch; for this exercise stand in a doorway with one arm against its frame at shoulder height or slightly below, then use your other hand to lean forward until you feel a good stretch in both your chest and shoulders.
Regularly performing this stretch can help strengthen chest and shoulders, relieving Dowager’s Hump. But be careful to avoid overstretching which could cause pulled shoulders or injury – if experiencing pain while performing this exercise seek advice from a physical therapist before continuing.
As well as stretching, regular core strengthening exercises may also prove beneficial for improving posture. Bridge and plank variations are excellent exercises to incorporate into daily home exercise regimens; both require minimal equipment and can make a significant difference to both posture and Dowager’s Hump symptoms.
An embarrassing condition like Dowager’s Hump can be distressing; however, it should be remembered that its appearance can be reversed to some extent with physical therapy and exercises/stretches performed regularly. Most likely the source is weak muscles around your thoracic spine which have to compensate. If serious about reducing its appearance consult a physical therapist who will help create an individual treatment plan to meet this goal.
