Many strange diseases counter humans. Some of them do not even have a defined etiology. They can irritate you and affect your appearance. They can cause issues in walking, sitting, and many other tasks that you perform. Many diseases occur due to the tasks you perform. One of such diseases that can be postural or developmental is Dowager’s Hump.
Get on board to get the complete details about the Dowager’s Hump and how to get rid of dowager’s hump.
Table of Contents
What is a Dowager’s Hump?
Dowager’s Hump is also called hunchback or Kyphosis. You must have seen humps in camels. Yes, it is the correct reference. The Hump is undoubtedly small but is surely like the one in camels. The patient shows curving of thoracic vertebrae in the upper back portion that appears rounded and lifted like a camel’s Hump.
Causes Of Dowager’s Hump
There are a few causes that prove to pay you the dowager’s Hump. Almost all the possible causes for it are given below.
1. Poor Posture
Poor posture is the one everyone is worried about. When you sleep on your sofa and sit on your bed to work for a long time, you are making a mistake. Scooping yourself into your sofa will give your spine the unwanted curve that is painful in the start but then slowly becomes rigid and causes Dowager’s Hump. Sitting straight and bending down your neck to work for hours can also cause it.
2. Spinal Injury
Many spinal injuries can cause this. If a person undergoes an accident which damages the thoracic vertebrae or cervical vertebrae of the spine, it can easily cause it to you because while the treatment is happening, the curvature might get hampered due to the position that the patient acquires.
3. Underlying Diseases
There can be underlying diseases like degenerative disk diseases or osteoporosis, which can easily hamper your posture leading to a Dowager’s Hump.
4. Aging
When the person starts to move towards older age, many postural deformities can acquire. This also includes walking with a bent spine with the face facing the floor. This results in Dowager’s Hump.
5. Decreased Mobility
Sitting at a place and working as a robot is not going to help you. It is going to hamper your health by decreasing the mobility of the spine. This caused it.
Developmental Conditions Scheuermann’s Kyphosis is a developmental disease. This means that the child was born with Dowager’s Hump.
Symptoms
You must be knowing many symptoms, or I should say clinical features of it. But here are some common as well as the list of some uncommon symptoms also. Get the details underneath.
1. Humps
As told above, there is a lifted swelling in the upper thoracic portion of the spine. This is what we call a hump.
2. Back Pain
The patient faces back pain due to the postural deformities that have caused Dowager’s Hump. The pain is so severe that the patient is unable to walk properly. Generally seen in older patients.
3. Stiffness
There is stiffness seen in the vertebrae. Firstly, there is pain due to unwanted posture in the spine. If it is not corrected, it can also cause stiffness.
4. Fatigue
There are higher chances for the people suffering from it to get fatigued.
5. Tight Hamstrings
There are severe cramps faced by the patients who are suffering from it. They take a back seat in walking or exercise. They are unable to straighten out their limbs due to the painful cramps they are facing.
Some uncommon symptoms that are supposed to attack the patients due to this are:
- Tingling of Limbs
- Acid Reflux
- Bladder Problems
Diagnosis
Diagnosis or investigations are made to see whether the disease suspected by the doctor is right or wrong. No one other than these tests can confirm the presence of any disease or illness. Thus, to assure that the patient is suffering from Dowager’s Hump, the following tests are performed.
- Physical Examination
A physical examination of the patient is performed. The doctor looks for the swelling just below the back of the neck. If there is a hard lifted curvature seen, which is abnormal, it is marked as Dowager’s Hump.
- X-rays
X-rays are done to see whether the thoracic vertebrae have formed the Hump or not.
Other investigations like MRI and CT-Scan are done to confirm the findings.
How To Get Rid Of Dowager’s Hump
How to get rid of Dowager’s Hump is the most important question that must be answered. So here are some ways with the help of which you can get rid of the Dowager’s Hump.
1. Posture
Rectify your postures first. Try to visit an ergonomist or physiotherapist who will help you rectify your postures. Once you know how to sit and how much to bend for how long, the problems get resolved.
2. Exercise
Since there is an excess of curvature, exercises can be done to cure the bending of the spine. 
3. Pain Relief
The patient suffers acute pain in their spine. Thus, doctors advise some pain killers to eliminate it. Analgesics and NSAIDs are provided.
4. Treating Underlying Diseases
Treatment of the causative factors is essential. The problems or diseases like osteoporosis, degenerative disk disease and many more should be treated first to deplete Dowager’s Hump.
5. Weight Loss
It has been trusted that if the patient loses some weight, it might help them reduce the chances of availing of a Dowager’s Hump. You must keep a good track of what you eat.
6. Surgery
If no medicine or exercise works, you can go for surgery and get it treated.
Summing Up
So this was all about the causes and symptoms of Dowager’s Hump. You also acknowledged how to get rid of Dowager’s Hump. So if you feel such symptoms somewhere around the nape, you must consult a doctor now and get it treated as early as possible.
I am an Ambitious girl with a special interest in writing and sharing my knowledge. I love to hangout with nature and learn from it. My words will display the power of nature to the best as I love to write about the environment.
