Nobody ever said that getting older is easy. At times, it feels as if time purposely makes the process of aging as challenging as it possibly can. This is especially true if it comes to a Dowager’s Hump. This non-medical term refers to that curved appearance you are most likely to witness in older people, especially women.
The appropriate medical term for a Dowager’s Hump is Kyphosis. Still, most people are also familiar with the Dowager’s Hump as a neck hump or a buffalo hump. In this ultimate guide, we go into more detail about what is Dowager’s Hump and what causes a Dowager’s Hump so that you can seek treatment for it.
What is the Dowager’s Hump?
You probably might have come across the term “Dowager’s Hump,” which refers to the outward curvature of your upper back, which tends to appear hunched or rounded. In layman terms, most people refer to the Dowager’s Hump as a hunchback.
In addition to the rounded bump that appears at the base of your neck, a Dowager’s Hump also has a forward head posture, where an individual’s head juts forward. One of the significant issues with this condition is that when your head sits more forward, it will exert more stress at the base of your neck.
For every inch of a protruding head, you are actually adding approximately 10 pounds of additional pressure on your neck. If you keep doing this, the force keeps adding up with time, and you won’t be surprised when you notice the curvature of your spine has changed over a few months or years.
Most Common Causes of a Dowager’s Hump
Bad posture is the most significant cause of a Dowager’s Hump. However, it is definitely not the only one. Various other factors can lead to the development of a Dowager’s age: Let’s look at them one by one.
1. Poor Posture
A poor posture is usually caused by doing things such as:
- Hunching or slouching excessively in front of your computer or a television.
- Carrying heavy items on your back, like a backpack full of heavy items.
- Leaning back in chairs.
You can generally avoid a Dowager’s Hump caused by bad posture if you try to practice maintaining a good posture from an earlier age.
2. Spinal Injuries
Sometimes, spinal injuries like fractures tend to damage the spine. This can also affect the curvature of your spine and cause a Dowager’s Hump.
3. Aging
It is estimated that the commonness of a Dowager’s Hump, also known as kyphosis, among older people ranges from 20-40%. Besides spinal and bone conditions, several factors start to occur with age and ultimately cause a Dowager’s Hump to develop. These include:
- Muscle Strength: Studies report that weak back muscles, particularly the spinal extensors, strongly correlate with increased kyphosis (Dowager’s Hump) especially in women above 60 years of age.
- Decreased Mobility: This tends to affect the ligaments and muscles in the back and affect your positioning and posture.
- Sensory changes: A reduced input from senses such as touch, vision, and spatial awareness might also affect the positioning and posture of the neck or head.
4. Conditions Affecting the Spine or Bone
Some underlying spinal bone conditions can also be a prominent cause of this condition. Osteoporosis and a degenerative risk are two common examples of these conditions.
5. Developmental Conditions
Sometimes, a Dowager’s Hump can also occur as a form of a congenital condition. This usually happens if your spine did not correctly develop before you were born. It can also occur when the spine fails to form correctly during a growth spurt, a condition known as Scheurmann’s kyphosis.
So, people with such a condition will have more triangle-shaped vertebrae rather than rectangular-shaped ones. Resultantly, this increases the likelihood of having an abnormal curvature in your spine.
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Conclusion
No matter what the underlying cause is, a Dowager’s Hump can occur due to weakened muscles around the thoracic spine. When those muscles become weak, other body muscles have to work on their behalf to compensate for their weakness. This puts the other muscles under continuous strain, too, due to overuse.
If left untreated, Dowager’s Hump can cause pain that trickles down your neck and shoulders too. With time, your chin will also begin to shift closer to the ribcage. Eventually, the end result can lead to spinal degeneration. While most people will be concerned about the physical appearance and aesthetic of a Dowager’s Hump, others just seek a way to get relief from the pain caused by it.
Fortunately, the Dowager's Hump can be treated to a major extent in some people. In some cases, it can be entirely cured too. A few exercises and stretches can be incredibly beneficial in taking off the pressure from your upper back and neck, and minimizing the Dowager’s Hump itself.