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Senior Fitness
Exercise for Dowager's Hump
By Jim Evans
DEAR JIM: My wife has developed a noticeable "hump" on top of her upper back in recent years - I guess they call it a "dowager's hump" - and I wondered if there is any kind of exercise she can do to prevent it from becoming worse. She is only 62. She has never been very physically active in the past, but she is so concerned with her appearance that she might be willing to try some exercise if it will help.
- Worried in Washington
DEAR WORRIED: You are probably wondering what in the world is a "dowager," let alone a "dowager's hump." According to the American Heritage Dictionary a dowager is either "a widow who holds title or property derived from her deceased husband" or "an elderly woman of high social station." What it has to do with a "hump" I don't know unless, perhaps, women of this description were particularly prone to the development of a hump on their upper back usually caused by osteoporosis.
Typically affecting older women - it can also affect men, although not as often - a dowager's hump is probably best be described as an abnormal curvature of the spine that usually manifests itself as a "hump" in the upper back. When the spine begins to collapse with osteoporosis it causes people to hunch over, sometimes losing as much as a foot in height.
I don't know your wife's background, of course, but if she is Caucasian, if she smokes, or if she drinks more than two alcoholic beverages a day, her risk of osteoporosis increases. And, if she has a history of osteoporosis in her family, her risk also increases. Weight-bearing exercises and calcium intake to build bone density during the formative years between puberty and age 35 can help to prevent osteoporosis but, unfortunately, many women of your wife's age did not have the benefit of this knowledge until recent years.
What to do about the dowager's hump now? Your wife should first consult with her physician for a bone density test and, if she does have osteoporosis, she will probably be advised to increase her calcium intake and increase her physical activity level to slow down her bone deterioration.
One simple postural exercise that she can start doing immediately to, perhaps, slow further progression of the dowager's hump is the shoulder shrug. Have her stand facing a mirror with her feet about shoulder-width apart and her knees slightly bent. Holding a small dumbbell in each hand - probably 5-10 pounds to start - with her arms straight at her sides, have her shrug her shoulders as high as possible (tell her she will win a prize if she can touch her ears) and then lower her shoulders and repeat for two sets of 10-15 repetitions 2-3 times a week. The movement should be smooth and steady without jerking. This will strengthen the trapezius muscle across the top of the back and help minimize the appearance of the dowager's hump.
Younger women would do well to increase their calcium intake and engage in more weight-bearing exercises to prevent osteoporosis before they grow older, but it is never too late to change habits and slow the progression of this disease at any age.
Jim Evans is a 40-year veteran of the health and fitness industry and a nationally recognized consultant on fitness for seniors.
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