Most people haven’t heard about a Dowager’s hump, but we’re pretty sure you’ve seen one and you don’t want one. This hump is one of the most common and most concerning deformities in posture for women. It’s a little hump right where the neck meets the upper back.
When this hump appears in women, it makes them feel self conscient because it affects their attractiveness. They feel like it makes them look older or even heavier. It is actually very common to see the Dowager’s hump in older women.
What is a Dowager’s Hump?
If you’re experimenting with rounding in your neck and/or upper back, you most likely have a Dowager’s Hump. Basically what it is rounding in the upper back, very common in older women who have a compression fracture in their spine. This results in compromised vertebrae that make the spine to compensate for it, creating a hump.
However, if you have a small rounding in your spine, not so pronounced, it’s actually not that bad. In reality, it’s normal for the upper back to have a small curvature. This is called kyphosis. I some cases, that curvature could be a bit exaggerated and would be called “hyper” kyphosis.
Causes
The most common cause of Dowager’s hump is poor posture, but you can also have been born with it (congenital kyphosis). You can also develop this condition due to a trauma, or Scheuermann’s disease. When you go see a chiropractor, he will be able to determine the cause of your Dowager’s hump and come up with a treatment plan for you based on the root of the problem.
How Do You Get Diagnosed?
To be able to determine the diagnosis of Dowager’s hump, your chiropractor will inquire about your medical history and will perform a physical examination. He will then determine if he needs further imaging tests, like x-rays or MRIs. The chiropractor will then use techniques of motion and static palpation to feel any tenderness or tightness, and assess how your spinal joints are moving.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
If your Dowager’s hump was caused by poor posture, then we have good news for you. One of our chiropractors at Mauricio Chiropractic will be able to help you reduce the hump by teaching you new and better posture habits.
On the other hand, if your Dowager’s hump was not caused by poor posture, chiropractic care can:
- Reduce inflammation
- Decrease muscle spasms
- Help maintain the health of your spine
- Better motion in the spine by improving muscular strength
- Reduce chronic pain
- Slow the middle back’s process of degeneration
- Treat the intervertebral discs
Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractors use a type of spinal manipulation called a spinal adjustment to help you improved joint motion. It is an active, and very hand-on maneuver and there many different variations of it, including:
- Specific spinal manipulation: it identifies restricted joints using a gentle thrust technique that can stretch soft tissue and stimulate the nervous system to return normal movement to the spine.
- Flexion-distraction technique: this one is gentle and does not involve a thrust. It is used for people with a Dowager’s hump that is associated with motion restrictions in the thoracic spine or degenerative disc disease.
- Instrument-assisted manipulation: this one also does not involve a thrust. Instead, a chiropractor uses a hand-held instrument to apply force into the spine without any thrusting.
Our chiropractors may also use the following treatments to help you reduce inflammation caused by Dowager’s hump.
- Interferential electrical stimulation: this is a low-frequency electrical current used to stimulate muscles to decrease inflammation.
- Ultrasound: it eases muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain. Ultrasound works by sending sound waves deep into muscle tissues, enhancing circulation by creating gentle heat.
Also, your chiropractor can also prescribe you to do therapeutic exercises that will help you restore normal spinal motion. They will teach you how to do them to help you manage your Dowager’s hump symptoms.
Chiropractor Near You
Are you concerned about having a Dowager’s Hump? Is it bringing you down? Are you in pain? If you answered yes, schedule an appointment here with one of our chiropractors at Mauricio Chiropractic. We have 9 different locations in the Orlando area. Start becoming your best self today!
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