Each of us has a nuanced perspective on ageing. Retirement, experience, and self-awareness can be lovely things, but they can also present health concerns we didn’t anticipate. The neck hump is among the most despised.
A neck hump is commonly referred to as a dowager’s hump or a buffalo hump (very offensive, don’t you think?). In medicine, this condition is known as kyphosis. It defines an overly rounded upper back spine that gets worse with time. Slouching causes your back to naturally bend, so you adjust by craning your neck forward and tilting your head up to maintain your eyes level. This draws even more attention to the curvature. It’s also not vain to want it addressed because kyphosis can lead to a variety of problems, including neck and back pain. Although you’ll need a doctor’s approval first, performing stretches and exercises at home can help to drastically lessen kyphosis and the issues it leads to.
Just what is kyphosis?
Kyphosis can be classified as postural, congenital, or Scheuermann’s. Doctors define postural, the one we’ll concentrate on, as a spine that has curved at least 50 degrees. Congenital kyphosis, which is identified at birth, happens when specific back bones don’t develop properly. Scheuermann’s kyphosis, a hereditary disorder characterised by a bent spine brought on by vertebrae that have assumed a wedge form, first manifests between the ages of 10 and 15. (Normal vertebrae should be shaped like a rectangle.)
What gives rise to a neck hump?
Dr. Rahul Shah, a board-certified orthopaedic spine and neck surgeon, and Dr. Liza Egbogah, a manual osteopathic physician and chiropractor, say that the three following factors account for the majority of kyphosis cases:
bad posture When we slouch, our heads naturally push forward to make up for it, which highlights a neck hump. The primary causes, according to Dr. Liza, are using electronics for too long while bending forward and looking down. Arthritis. The head may naturally lean farther forward to keep the arthritic areas in a more comfortable position if you have lower neck arthritis, according to Dr. Shah. Aging. In the neck or thoracic bones of the spine, you might lose a large amount of mass as you age, according to Dr. Shah.
