Curved like a shrimp: Is that your typical sitting position at your desk? Here are tips on how to prevent a hunched back – and what to do if it’s already there.
When you sit for hours, it often happens unnoticed: your shoulders pull forward and your back arches. This posture can cause nasty tension in the long term if it causes the muscles in the back to shorten – resulting in a hunched back.
In advanced stages, this hump not only causes pain, but can also cause tingling or numbness in the arms. They arise when the curved spine squeezes nerves, as David Kubosch from the Gundelfingen Joint Clinic explains.
But we can ensure that, in the best case scenario, it doesn’t even get that far. This is particularly important for anyone who works a lot at a desk or often in a stooped position. Orthopedist Kubosch suggests these exercises for prevention:
Exercise 1: Child’s Pose
A good start to prevent back muscles from shortening: stretching the latissimus dorsi, a large back muscle, two to three times a week. This can be done with an exercise known in yoga as child’s pose.
You start on all fours, placing your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your pelvis. Now move your buttocks towards your feet and stretch your arms forward on the floor or mat – as far as possible. The breastbone also sinks towards the ground. After 30 seconds, leave this position and then repeat the exercise again.
Exercise 2: Cat hump
This is also why you take a four-footed position. From there you go into the cat hump: “Make your back as round as possible and let your head hang loosely,” describes David Kubosch. Hold this position for about five seconds and then return to the starting position.
Exercise 3: Cow Back
When standing on all fours, let your spine sag slightly downwards, creating a hollow back. The head is raised and the gaze is directed forward. Orthopedist Kubosch advises holding the cow’s back for about five seconds and repeating it ten times.
Diagnosis of hunchback: what happens next?
And if your back hurts again and again? According to David Kubosch, the first signs of a hunched back should be checked by a doctor.
Treatment for hunched back is tailored to the cause and severity. But what is always part of it: movement. A hunched back is difficult to “train away,” says Kubosch. But well-strengthened and stretched muscles in the chest and back alleviate the symptoms. Physiotherapy is therefore a crucial component. An ergonomic adjustment of the workplace can also be part of the treatment concept.
And in severe cases? Then a corset can also correct the posture. If the pain and neurological problems are severe, an operation may also be necessary: During the procedure, metal rods and screws are used to straighten the spine again. According to the orthopedic surgeon, hunched back can usually be treated conservatively – i.e. without surgery.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- Back training: simple exercises for strong muscles
- Is relaxing on the couch bad for your back? That’s what experts say
- What helps against sore muscles? 5 completely natural tips
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