WHERE DOES THE BUMP COME FROM

Have you ever noticed certain people develop a “bump” at the top of their shoulders?  Do you wonder if your developing that bump? It has some serious spinal consequences, so follow the steps below to prevent it.

What Is It?

  • A spinal curve abnormality of the lower neck and upper back.
  • Often referred to as a Dowager’s hump.
  • Along with poor aesthetic appearance, can lead to other health problems over time.
  • Many of our patients come in asking how did I get this? And more importantly how can I fix it?
  • The good news, it is NOT a permanent change and yes, you can correct this.

What To Do

  • First what is the bump?  It is also known as a Dowagers hump, and is the results of what’s called Forward Head Posture.
  • Try this test, looking straight ahead, place your hand at the lowest part of the neck, right where you feel the largest spinal bone protruding.
  • From there, push the head forward as far as you can, and you’ll notice that by increasing the degree of forward head posture, it significantly increases the prominence of the “bump” at the base of the neck.
  • As people develop poor posture, this bump becomes larger and larger.  Until one day you wake up and notice a large “bump” at the base of the neck.
  • Luckily, by reversing the forward head posture, you can significantly, if not completely reduce or remove the forward head posture.

4 Steps To Correction

1) Head Retraction-Keeping the chin level, retract the entire head backward until you feel a stiffness or cannot retract further.  If you place your hand on your neck, you will feel this instantaneously reduces the prominence of “the bump”

2) Shoulder external rotation-Using an exercise band, grasp both ends of the band and pull outward, pulling the shoulder blades together, this will drastically reduce the rounding of the shoulders and decrease the visibility of “the bump”

3) Rib Cage tilt-Rounding of the upper back is the final component to address.  When the thoracic cage drops, the head will naturally drift forward, it also decreases the amount of oxygen you can inhale, leading to other health issues.  For this exercise, protrude the chest up, and create an arc in the highest part of the lower back. This will help to flatten the lower back and most importantly, decrease forward head posture and restore a normal breathing pattern.

4) See a Chiropractor: Many times posture is difficult for people to maintain, and is due to improper spinal alignment.  Seeing a Chiropractor to help restore normal alignment and function to the spinal column can speed up the posture restoration process.  This will also help you address any abnormal spinal curvatures that may be leading to the problem.

By implementing these steps you can reduce or eliminate any worries about “the bump”

IMPROVE WORK
IMPROVE LIFE

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