Dowager’s hump is a form of hyperkyphosis which affects the front of your spine, often leading to neck pain and giving an aged-appearance roundback look.
Poor posture is often to blame for this condition; however, exercises and stretches may help mitigate its appearance or prevent its further spread.
Stretches
Dowager’s hump is a condition resulting from prolonged poor posture that affects both neck and upper back. Over time, poor posture causes this rounded hunch of the thoracic spine – or upper back – which can lead to pain in shoulders and neck as well as appearing shorter due to lack of height and fatigue caused by your body trying to compensate. With regular exercises that strengthen posture or stretching sessions you may be able to improve or even reverse its impact on you and reverse this condition altogether.
Dowager’s humps typically result from long periods of sitting with back arched forward in an extended flexed position. This causes joints in your upper back to stiffen up, which leads to vertebrae shifting out of alignment and creating a curve called kyphosis in your spine; when this happens in the neck area it causes head protrusion forward of shoulders known as forward head posture.
Dowager’s humps cannot be completely eliminated due to their natural progression; however, you can take steps to limit its growth over time and decrease it further. Stretching exercises such as chin tucks, shoulder rolls, scapular squeezes and the wall extension stretch may strengthen neck muscles and improve posture, which in turn may help.
As part of your arsenal of treatments for dowager’s hump, one exercise you should try is the chin tuck. To perform it effectively, stand before a mirror and assess your posture to ascertain where your chin stands in relation to your chest. Place two fingers just below your chin and slowly pull backward. Do this exercise three times each day until desired results have been reached.
Scapular Squeeze Exercise can also be an effective form of stretching, by standing in front of a door frame with your back straight, placing one arm on either side of it at 90-degree angles with your forearms forming 90 degrees, then slowly extend your arms while squeezing your shoulder blades – repeat this exercise 12-15 times daily!
An effective diagonal band stretch exercise. To perform it, begin in a standing position with feet together and back straight; hold onto both hands of a resistance band so arms bend at 90 degrees parallel with ground; move arms up overhead then down on opposite side to stretch neck and back muscles.
Abdominal Exercises
Dowager’s hump (kyphosis) is an excessive curvature of your upper spine which can cause pain and stiffness in your neck and back, as well as reduce quality of life. Luckily, with proper exercise and care it can be prevented or reduced significantly.
Poor posture is usually at the root of dowager’s humps, especially when sitting for extended periods. Your joints become stiff, leading to your head being held forward over your shoulders – something which could have come about through reading, working on computers or text messaging; or your upper back muscles being weak and lacking support from surrounding muscle groups.
To overcome this, it is crucial that you practice abdominal exercises regularly. Try planks, wall sits and bridges to strengthen the muscles in your stomach, chest and lower back.
Doorway pectoral stretches can help improve posture and avoid dowager’s humps. Simply stand in an open doorway with hands placed palm-forward on its frame. Slowly lift arms overhead until they form a push-up position – repeat this several times each day until chest and back muscles feel relaxed and stretched out.
Back extensions are an important form of exercise for both the back and neck. To perform back extensions, lie on a bench or use a chair and bend backwards with bent elbows before returning to your original position and repeating several times daily to strengthen your back muscles and counteract effects such as dowager’s hump.
Importantly, remember that dowager’s hump isn’t something that develops overnight; rather it takes some time for posture correction to occur on its own. Therefore, correcting posture early to avoid dowager’s humps is vital if you wish to lead a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. Physical therapy is an excellent treatment option to help alleviate such conditions if they arise.
Shoulder Exercises
Dowager’s hump is caused by weakening of muscles around the thoracic spine, which leads to pain or discomfort and compression of intestines resulting in malnutrition and other health complications. However, the condition can be reversed through regular neck and back exercises as well as stretching exercises, posture training sessions and body mechanic training throughout the day; doing this will prevent hunching forward which leads to this condition developing further.
Strengthen your shoulder muscles and chest to combat the effects of dowager’s humps, through exercises like shoulder shrugs, upright rows, cat/cow yoga poses or doorway pectoral stretches. Also include any strength training regimen that targets these muscle groups into your workout schedule.
Poor posture is often to blame for dowager’s hunches, as this causes your shoulders to round in and your head protrude forward from behind your neck. Sitting for extended periods with bent knees flexed can also contribute, as sitting this way causes joints to stiffen, leading to protrusion at the base of your neck and eventually creating an embarrassing protrusion of skin at its base.
If left unaddressed, this issue can quickly worsen into a severe curvature that affects your entire upper body. The appearance of a hump may be embarassing or cause social isolation; additionally, compression of ribs may interfere with breathing, potentially leading to serious health concerns.
Postural correction is the ideal approach to treating dowager’s humps as it will not only enhance your appearance but can also alleviate discomfort and help to protect the spine from further damage. A physical therapist can teach you the appropriate exercises and stretches as well as offer other treatment methods such as injections or surgery if necessary. By practicing daily thoracic mobility exercises such as stretching and strengthening exercises your dowager’s hump will go away and symptoms associated with it will disappear altogether.
Neck Exercises
Dowager’s hump can be treated by exercising and stretching to strengthen neck and upper back muscles, depending on its severity. Poor posture is the leading cause: sitting for long periods with your back arched forward while working on computers, reading or driving can cause the vertebrae in your upper spine to stiffen, which pulls forward your head from shoulders until eventually the condition leads to forward head posture (also called “forward head posture”).
Apart from poor posture, other causes for neck humps could include osteoporosis (a condition in which bones weaken over time) or spinal injuries like vertebral fractures. Osteoporosis is particularly prevalent among women, who tend to have weaker bones that increase the chances of fracture.
If you suffer from dowager’s hump, seeing a physician can help stretch and strengthen neck and upper back muscles to improve posture. He or she may recommend foam rolling as a means to lengthening your spine’s natural curve; they will also teach exercises designed to strengthen those that support it – some exercises of which can even be completed at home!
One exercise to try is the chin tuck, in which you pull your chin straight back and slowly bring your shoulders forward to strengthen upper back muscles and raise shoulders. It is recommended to do three sets of 10 repetitions daily of this exercise. In addition, try scapular squeezes – tightening muscles between shoulder blades in order to increase strength and stability in upper back muscles by placing hands behind back and squeezing those muscles 12-15 repetitions every day until you achieve results.
Other treatments for dowager’s humps may include spinal manipulations or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal alignment and relieve pressure off your shoulders and neck. Acupuncturists may also offer relief by performing spinal manipulations using needles to relieve certain points on the neck or upper back that have pressure from other sources.
