According to the Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center, poor forward leaning head posture, also commonly referred to as a “dowager’s hump” is… “A result from chronic forward-leaning, a posture that is too common in our world of computer screens and other devices. Over time, a habit of poor posture can cause you to develop an abnormal curve of the upper vertebrae and a mass of tissue at the lower part of the neck.”
What causes a Dowager’s Hump?
The act of leaning forward causes you to lift your head to compensate, especially while hunched over a computer desk. Furthermore, bone conditions like osteoporosis or poor posture can have a worsening effect on this spinal condition, causing a small lump of fatty tissue to form at the base of the neck. A dowager’s hump is not something that happens overnight, or usually at a young age. It often begins as that small fatty deposit at the base of the neck, and then small micro-compression fractures begin to form in the vertebrae, morphing this fatty deposit into a pronounced lump—the Dowager’s Hump.
Screens are one of the modern culprits of this spinal disorder. Another contributor is a diet of unhealthy food. These are an all-too common phenomenon touching every single person in America; ranging from young children drinking sugary fruit juice while playing on their iPads; to college students typing away on their laptops; or office worker spending hours in a cubicle munching on a quick lunch of fast food. Leaning forward to gaze into the depths of digital screens and munching on cheap and unhealthy snacks is an action that is almost unavoidable in this age of technology and unhealthy food.
Correcting Forward Head Posture
Luckily, if you are unfortunate enough to be suffering from this somewhat common malady, it is something that can be easily prevented, and even reversed through chiropractic care. A series of simple and quick chiropractic exercises may also be prescribed by a chiropractic practitioner that can be performed daily to strengthen the upper back muscles and bring your spine back into its proper alignment. Further chiropractic care including chiropractic adjustments to properly align the spinal column will do wonders to relieve this condition over time. All you need to do is contact us today for an appointment, and begin the road to recovery!
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