dowagers hump?

[Mr_R_Swipe]

One of my friends has one of these. Sorry i am not sure on the spelling, but its causing her problems ie headaches and lots of tension around the shoulders. Is this normal with them or is it just her? Can you get rid of them? I assume the tension and headaches occur due to the uneven weight of her head not being in line with her spine? The lump isnt huge but she is very conscious of it. [sm=cat.gif]

 

[Pompal 09.]

I'm not sure about this so please feel free to correct me anyone, but I thought Dowagers Humps were caused by Osteoporosis? Perhaps do a search on Osteoporosis?

 

[DaMan]

I think the technical term is kyphosis. Osteoporosis is one of several causes. Best thing is probably to do a search on Google or Yahoo.

Lesley

 

[rakib]

Hi Vickie

No not too sure of the spelling either but up here is called dowergers hump and one of the causes is bad posture usually caused by hem large boossums. The weight of them causes the person to stoop which in turn over time affects the spine. I don't suppose your friend has hem large boossums? because if so the right fitting bra & posture training might help which in turn would probably stop the headaches. Unless the two aren't related, lots of things can cause headaches if she's feeling stressed for example because of this condition.

Just a thought.[sm=scratchchin.gif]

I hope she feels better soon.


Marnie

Peace and tranquility to all

 

[pjezmuijidiiosedz]

Think it's dowager's hump!

Dowager meaning nobleman's widow or grand looking old lady.

They tend to run in families & large boobies would certainly be a contributing factor.

It's a degenerative increase in the curve at the junction between neck & thoracic spine. Stress pattern breathing with upper ribs is also like to contribute due to the pull on neck by the scalenes & SCM muscles.

The word kyphosis is usually used for a general increase in the forward curve of the thoracic spine in general. You often find that they have this as well, which further throws the head forward. This puts the head in front of line of gravity, meaning that the neck is perpetually bending back (extending), which tends to aggravate the spinal facet joints - the most common cause of spinal pain, plus the muscles are always fighting to pull the head upright.

In short, althougth the neck is likely to benefit from treatment, the pain is likely to return, unless the other problems are addressed.

My preference is osteopathic treatment, but any competent manual/manipulative therapist should be able to help. Advice on posture & self help exercises should also be given as a maintainance programme, so as not to rely on the therapist/osteopath.

Sorry guys - I know everyone hates a smart arse, but being liked isn't why I'm here, nor is it to profit.

[sm=wave.gif]

 

[ElDiablo]

i thought dowargers hump was usually linked with osteoporosis. definitely not helped by bad posture. back extension exercises? what about calcium supplements in case re osteoporosis

 

[Timmy]

hiya
dont know anything about this topic myself but i remember a few years ago watching light lunch with Mel and Sue ( the two from the bread adverts)
Anyway Sue Perkins (the Sue from Mel and Sue!!) had one of these humps and one of her guest chefs commented on it and said that either, he used to have one and it was corrected or, his friend had one and it was corrected, something like that anyway!!!!
So basically (and the point of my post!) i believe they CAN be corrected!!!
(I saw her on celebrity big brother and i didnt notice her hump)
Tx

 

[justwonderinhun]

Hi Vicki
Perhaps your friend might benefit from a Chi Machine.
We have had great results from the Chi Machines we distribute. Sorry if this is a bit of a plug but we were quite amazed at what they can do.
A friend of ours Peter, a therapist - who we now work with fairly regularly - tried out our Chi Machine at a show. We hadn't seen him for a few months & were quite upset to find he couldn't put his head down flat on the bed. His head was about 3 inches off the bed.
Instead of getting him a pillow (Spirit was guiding me) I asked him if he would trust me & if he found it really uncomfortable then I would put a pillow under his head. To the astonishment of both of us within the space of 5 minutes his head reached the bed. Needless to say we were both overjoyed - this was the 1st time in about 4-5 months that he had been able to do this.

I wouldn't advise this to everyone - for safety I would advise starting off with a thick piece of foam under the head & then gradually going onto thinner ones - as I said that day I had a very clear message from Spirit.

Peters' dowager hump has now gone & he too swears by the benefits of the Chi massager. It helps release tension in the back neck & shoulders & also helps put your body back into alignment.

Results are rarely as dramatic as this - both of us were amazed that this time it was so dramatic. Don't expect this kind of result immediately.

Osteopathic treatment should also help as will massage to help relieve tension in the neck & shoulders.
If you want further info. or would like me to put you in contact with Peter - then please feel free to email me. There are many different Chi Machines out there. We have also bought & tried many different ones ourselves & personally we have found that those with a fixed speed of around 150 swings a minute to bring the most benefit. Higher speeds can be too jarring to the body - some of the higher speed machines quite frankly scared us. Lower speeds - you don't get the full beneficial Chi effect.

Love, Light & Laughter
Linda

 

[Aubrae]

Auraphoto, when u say a chi machine do you mean the shiatsu type massagers with the 2 prongs that circle?

 

[tommy]

Vicki
No it's not like the Shiatsu machine - although you'd be surprised at how many people want to put their head on the machine when we take it to shows They'd end up with terrible headaches[]

Your feet go on the machine, ankles over & it sways your body from side to side. Has to be experienced as most people will not have come across the sensation - when the chi energy is raised you get a wave of chi up your body.
People who do Yoga or Tai Chi are usually amazed - some comments we have had regularly 'I have trained for 5 years & it takes me 2-3hrs to get to where this machine takes me in 5 minutes, WOW!'

It was developed originally for Sports Injuries - to get oxygen to the damaged area which aids in the healing. Most people tingle when the machine stops. We've also had diabetics that haven't felt their feet for many years on it & after 5 minutes they start to feel their feet again.

We totally believe in the machine - otherwise we couldn't & wouldn't distribute it. We have had some amazing results & about 80% of our sales come from recommendations. There is also a months money back guarantee with it - if you don't find you gain benefits then send it back - we never get them back.

I think I've said enough on here. I don't want this turning into an advert - it's difficult sometimes when you believe so strongly in something. Take a look at our website www.energyworkers.co.uk for a bit more info or contact me directly via my inbox.

Love Light & Laughter
Linda

 

[PooBqm]

You could say there is some association with osteoporosis but not a direct association.

If you have osteoporosis, then you may be more prone to getting a dowager's hump, but having a hump doesn't mean you have osteoporosis.

RE: Calcium supplements - there are various supplements that may well help, but calcium carbonate that they give on prescription isn't one of them.

A chi machine is an excellent idea for this problem, but do start with a few pillows & gradually reduce.

I do have one of the original ones, but it was never right & they wouldn't admit that there was a design fault. All they said was send it back - to Australia! [&:]

I've since sourced some very good & half the price, variable speed ones via a company in Canada. I Will at some piont put some info on our website, but it's on a very long list of things to do. Suggest you get on to Linda for more info.

 

[Sheila]

I have the exact same thing, and so did my mother. It wasn't until I googled it just now that I read all of this and realized what it's called.

It definitely has a bit to do with large breasts, which does run in my family (my sisters, my mother, her mother etc..all have large boosums. and partially bad posture)
and most of us have the 'Dowager hump' or 'Widow's hump' as some call it.

Apparently, it's also due to a lack of exercise and in most cases is genetic.

It isn't nessessary a sympton of osteporosis.

This is what I've just learnt from my google search.

I certainly hope that it IS indeed reversible. Because it really effects my self esteem and because I also get alot of tension around my shoulders and the back of my neck.




I've always been incredibly self-concious about it, as I think it makes me look unattractive.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Moshe Feldenkreis developed a system of exercises and philosophical approach to the body and particularly the back. He was amongst other things a black belt at Judo, his technique is is preferred by professional dancers. I like Yoga and occasionally go on intensive retreats to do this. One of the instructors taught me the following which I shall endevour to describe in words. The instructor aid if you do this daily you will never suffer from teh condition you describe. I hope it helps.

Find a space on the floor with plenty of space around it. Lie on your Left side bend your knees at 90 degrees to your body. place your arms perpendicular to your body (right out in front of you) palms facing each other. This posture must be maintained when not engaged in the steps below.

Step 1 slide in time with your breath one palm over teh other so that you push the top palm as far forwards as it will go then pull it back as far as you can keeping contact between the face of the top palm and teh arm and hand below repeat ten times.This causes your shoulders to move ralative to each other and introuces a gentle twist.

Step 2 leave your left arm on the floor and move your arm backwards in time with your breath in a graceful arc above your head as far back as it will go. Do not move your head with it. This profoundly opens the chest and gives you a beautiful back twist. Make sure your arm goes as far back over your head as you can.Repeat 10X

STEP 3 Return to teh basic posture set out in first paragraph. Now slide the top knee over the bottom . This has teh effect of rockingteh pelvis gently and is strange at first.Repeat 10X

Step 4. Return to teh posture in the first para. Now open your right leg lifting it up into the air, opening your legs like teh pages of a book. Repeat 10X

Gently roll over onto teh right and repeat.

I usually do teh whole thing again 2 or 3 times.

Give it a try

Rod

 

[hwelsuumiyuijweqx]

My understanding of dowagers hump :-

Poor posture over time causes inflamation of the muscles and surrounding area.

The bodys responce to this chronic condition is to begin thickening the muscles and lay down fatty tissue.

In an effort to reduce pain the sufferer will fix/stiffen this area of the spine and change range of movement/posture patterns, this leads to a cycle of worsening posture and continued layering of fatty tissue.

Before exercises, postural correction ect can begin a course of deep tissue massage should be used. This will break down the fatty tissue and allow the muscles to change the chronic pattern of fixating the spine.

This massage can be painfull to endure but the results can be well worth it.

If your occupation requires many hours sat at a computor you may well need regular deep tissue, sports or remedial massage to help you enjoy/endure your career.

Regards steve

 

[deep]

I have been very concerned to notice in my daughter a 'fatty cushion' developing around the top of her spine. This has been a considerable worry to me since I remember my own mother noticing this problem begin and develop in herself in her late 40s or 50s. Her clothes began to hang strangely and she had to adapt bought clothing or make her own in an attempt to get the right fit. She was very concious of the hump and it may have been in an attempt to keep straight that she always sat on a dining chair rather than an easy chair. I never saw her slouch or lounge around. She was very active, doing her own housework vigorously and quite able to tackle digging etc like a man. As she grew older the fatty hump developed into a hump with her spine curved over until at age nearly 90 she was very bent and from being a tall strong woman she became unable to carry even light shopping as it just pulled her past her centre of gravity.

Strangely, my m-i-l also has had a noticable hunchback from her mid-forties (whether this started with a fatty cushion I cannot say) which is now very pronounced. She has pains in her ribs and digestive problems, presumably caused by the compression of the rib cage and stomach.

Much of what is written on your site has been helpful to me and thanks for that. However, I would like to say that it is likely that Dowager's Hump may well have more than one cause, or there is more than one condition being described. I am certain that it is not necessarily caused by either a large bust or osteoporosis, though those things would be likely to contribute. Both my mother and my m-i-l were pear shapes with small breasts in proportion to their hips so bust weight did not contribute in their case. My mother grew very frail in the end but never had any fractures even after several falls. My m-i-l, also very frail, is being monitored for osteoporosis after breast cancer because her medication could thin her bones, but every test has proved that she is in no more danger than an average person. But neither women smoked so that may have helped their bones.

One of my daughters was only in her early twenties when we noticed a hump beginning. She is a well-covered girl but with a very definate 'cushion' at the top of her spine and the 'forward head' problem. She sits at a computer all day for her work. Another daughter, though showing no noticeable outward signs of the hump, has been diagnosed with scoliosis (she also suffers pain in her rib which is apparently being squashed by the slight curve of her spine).

With both grandmas having such pronounced humps I am very worried. Now recently I learn that m-i-l's father was described as a 'hunchback' and there were others before him in the family so it seems that hereditary may be playing a role for one daughter at least. It isn't just the look of this condition that worries me; it makes life very difficult when trying to buy clothes that fit let alone look smart, and as we see with the grandmas, it becomes painful and difficult to manage (hospital scanning machines are very uncomfortable with this condition).

I was very relieved to read on this site that there can be correction. Both my daughters see the chiropractor but I think we could explore further still for help with posture, exercises and maybe the chi machine.

Gingertyke1do

 

[Eclipse Vancouver]

Hi Ginger, further discussion here in case you missed it.
Hope your daughters are getting some deep tissue massage in addition to just chiro?

http://www.massageplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=42279

 

[lam_9]

Hi All
Poor posture doesn't help and these days too many of us spend too much time slumped over a desk, in front of computer screens or on the phone.

I find yoga helps my posture &, as I get older, do notice a deterioration around the neck & shoulders if I don't go for a few weeks. Also regular massage. We do seated massage in offices and see a big difference between clients who have regular sessions and those who don't - maybe because our clients are more aware of their postures and encouraged to stretch at the desk more often, take breaks & generally look after themselves.