Humpy upper back and neck problem

What does your physio suggest?

Are you sure it is not osteoporosis. Have you had a Dexa scan? If not, ask for one.

Oh Falcal71, you are not alone! I have osteoarthritis in my neck. I try to correct my posture but often catch myself in the mirror looking all humpy & awful. I have brought a shoulder brace, which helps a bit but its uncomfortable to wear for very long. My
solution for going out feeling a bit more confident is to wear a small, light, jolly rucksack to hide hunchy neck/shoulders. It also reminds one to try to stand as straight as possible, plus you can carry sweets, crisps ect as a bonus!😊

How about a voluminous scarf which wraps around, keep you warm as well.My own posture isn’t great I keep trying to remember to stretch upwards.

I've noticed over the last year or so a bit of a curve on my upper back. I've also had issues with my neck and shoulders for several years. An MRI shows problems at C4 - C7. Also spinal stenosis, my spinal column has narrowed and I'm having compression on the exiting nerves. The same on my lumbar area causing sciatica. I therefore find it difficult to now automatically stand nice and straight. I used to be proud that I walked tall. As previously suggested I use a pashmina, something large and soft to drape and look cosy and
'glamourous '.

I have similar problems and have a selection of quite bulky infinity scarves which are warm and comfortable to wear. Also use a smartish backpack.

Agree

I've got this problem too. Apparently I have a curve caused by broken and cracked vertebrae and collapsing discs. It's very painful. I try constantly to hold my head up straight but it's quite difficult and uncomfortable.
I think a pashmina is the only way to slightly disguise it.

I have a similar problem… I always wear shirt neck blouses sweaters jackets etc. never scoop or low backs. also I use scarves to disguise the back of my neck! It’s a real pain in the neck (literally) !!

This is a postural problem that's becoming more common due to looking down at screens. It's often called 'tech neck', but it can be an inherited condition too. My mother had a 'high round back' decades before screens were invented, I have it to a lesser extent (it improved when I lost weight) and one of my sons has it. My other two children are pretty straight backed.

Scarves are good for disguising it. Collars are also good. If you make your own clothes, you can do a 'high round back adjustment' to the pattern. There are tutorials for this on YouTube. The one by Whitney, whose channel is TomKat Stitchery, has the best one, in my opinion.

There’s a lot of suggestions on the internet on how to improve this problem. Type in ‘tech neck’. I then clicked the images tab.
Not recommending any of them as successful treatments as I haven’t tried any, but you may find some helpful advice.
Best wishes.

DH has this problem but x-rays etc showed no medical problem. He was referred for physio (3 times) but didn't do the exercises. None of his t-shirts etc reach his waist now. People rush to help him in supermarkets etc.

He has also shrunk in height considerably - he was 5 foot 11 when we married but is about the same height as me (5 foot 3) when stooped and even smaller sitting at a table.

For the last 10 years or so he has positioned his chair about 2 feet from the table and leans forwards, which makes it all worse. I am surprised he has had no falls.

I notice that he can no longer put a jacket on properly cos his arms won't reach to the back of his neck to straighten it.

So keep up trying, those of you with problems, cos it will surely get worse if you don't.

Falcat, that is exactly what I've got. It's called kyphosis, or used to be popularly called 'dowagers' hump'. I blame my computer posture.

As for my appearance, my son gave me good advice to not "obsess about it".

I am not obsessive about it however I do try to disguise it by wearing tops that cover my hump right up to at least the base of my neck. (Boat necks are not a good look,)

Stand up collars and hoods hanging down the back are good for hiding the hump but are not always available in T-shirts and jumpers.

Another problem is the hump makes tops stick out at the back all the way down, so I always like to have tops that nip in at hip level so they don't stick out all the way down. The classic jumper shape with firm ribbing is good especially if it also has a cowl neckline.

Madmeg

DH has this problem but x-rays etc showed no medical problem. He was referred for physio (3 times) but didn't do the exercises. None of his t-shirts etc reach his waist now. People rush to help him in supermarkets etc.

He has also shrunk in height considerably - he was 5 foot 11 when we married but is about the same height as me (5 foot 3) when stooped and even smaller sitting at a table.

For the last 10 years or so he has positioned his chair about 2 feet from the table and leans forwards, which makes it all worse. I am surprised he has had no falls.

I notice that he can no longer put a jacket on properly cos his arms won't reach to the back of his neck to straighten it.

So keep up trying, those of you with problems, cos it will surely get worse if you don't.

Goodness - are you sure he doesn’t have osteoporosis? I’m sure that failing to do exercises couldn’t possibly count for that height loss and such dramatic escalation of the problem. People often think that osteoporosis is only a problem for women, but my uncle was affected too.

Yes I can join this club. I have daily migraines and I am on loads of medication for the migraines. I believe they are the consequence of my structure. I have always been round shouldered from a young child and my head jutts forward too. I look better in high necks

My MIL had this very badly. I decided it was something I didn't want to happen to me so I see a chiropractor and so far so good. Not sure if it would help if the problem has already happened and of course I don't know if it would have happened to me if I hadn't seen the chiropractor.

I agree about the shirt collars! I never wear a plain t-shirt or round neck sweater, I quite often wear a shirt under a jumper.

With thoughts about my own 82-year-old neck and correcting a slight neck sway (my family always called this a dowager's hump), I've found some good daily exercises for the top of the back/neck that seem to work. Check a modern yoga book, plus that 'tech neck' website.

I do daily 15 minute exercises for strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles that I found on YouTube. They certainly help with the pain and discomfort and I think my posture has improved … and the double chin!

I've got terrible posture too, I'm not sure if it's a spinal issue, or "just"postural, but I hate it.

Because my knee is so bad I tend to walk looking down at the floor and it makes my whole body tense and tires me out. So I’ve started wearing a heavy rucksack. Once it’s on I don’t feel the weight and it makes me walk upright. I even wear it in the house sometimes. I’ve always had a bad posture, though.

My mother developed a dowager’s hump and so did her sister. I’ll do anything I can to prevent this but don’t really know how to spot the signs. I’ve always thought you must be able to feel something like that developing.

I also have a bad knee so tend to walk looking down. Some of my friends have had nasty falls on uneven pavements so I have taken to using a walking pole if I have to be walking on uneven ground for any length of time.

It’s much better than a walking stick because my posture is upright and I can look ahead rather than at my feet.

So far so good but it’s something I’m always conscious of.

I find walking poles are good for some walks but I’ve taken to using a walking stick at other times.It also stops the dog from running into my knee ( it’s always my bad knee and dogs heads are so hard!). I did a three mile walk today on the great greyhound walk: furthest I’ve walked for a long time and I only managed it because it was a circular walk, much further than I was expecting and I had to keep going! I can barely move now!

theworriedwell

My MIL had this very badly. I decided it was something I didn't want to happen to me so I see a chiropractor and so far so good. Not sure if it would help if the problem has already happened and of course I don't know if it would have happened to me if I hadn't seen the chiropractor.

When my knee first got bad years ago I saw a chiropractor and he was wonderful. If I was rich I’d see one all the time.