Wondering what is that hump at the base of your neck?

It is called the Dowager’s hump, often described as fatty hump at the base of the neck or kyphosis. The hump itself is usually not painful but sometimes can be a bit tender to touch if the spine at the base of the neck is misaligned.

Historically, the Dowager’s hump is more common to be found in older women. However, it has become more and more commonly found in all ages and genders in this modern world with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

What causes Dowager’s hump?

It is commonly caused by bad posture but some can be caused by osteoporosis, compression fractures, Scheuermann’s kyphosis (in teenagers, the spine develops into a wedge shape instead of a rectangle) and genetic causes.

Can it be fixed?

Most of the cases of Dowager’s hump are caused by bad posture and spinal misalignment. Many of you must have attempted to straighten your posture but ended up feeling unnatural or feeling forced. It is due to the spinal misalignment (follow the link to find out more). Chiropractic treatment provides the best natural correction to the Dowager’s hump. The treatment helps correct the spinal misalignment with manual adjustment and balance the muscles working on either side of the spine to resolve the hump. Many of our patients who found out they have Dowager’s hump from their posture scan in their initial examination have received a satisfying result at the end of their care plan.