What is Kyphosis?

Kyphosis is a word used to describe an exaggerated front to back curvature of the thoracic spine. It is a rounding of the upper back. It can be caused by a number of different things such as spinal deformity, osteoporosis, disc disease, or fractures. However, one cause that I see most commonly is repetitive positioning.

If we adopt a forward positioning of the spine for prolonged periods of time, for example, several hours a day, every day, our bones and muscles start to adapt to that shape. Working long hours at a computer without having your work station set up correctly, slouching on a sofa or on the bed while you read or watch T.V., looking down at your phone or tablet, as well as tasks that involve a lot forward bending (if you are not bending correctly) such as gardening, mucking out an animal stall or cycling, can all create kyphosis if these actions are done repetitively and incorrectly.

How to Correct Kyphosis

To what extent kyphosis can be corrected, depends largely on what has caused it and for how long it has been a problem. A more severe kyphosis may require surgery. However, if the kyphosis is mild and has been caused by poor positioning, there is usually a lot you can do to improve the situation, to reduce pain and improve mobility. When I work with clients who have kyphosis, there are three things that we focus on:

1. Corrective Exercises
2. Massage
3. Habit Change

Corrective exercises are great for addressing muscular imbalances and for retraining our bodies to be able to move optimally. With regards to kyphosis, we want to look at two main things. First of all, the muscles in the chest will be tight and overused from curving the spine and shoulders forwards. Stretching out the pectoral muscles of the chest can help to release the tension and return the muscles back to their normal length when in a resting state.

Corrective Exercise

We then want to work on strengthening the muscles in the back that stabilize the spine and shoulder blades.

I would also add into that some work on head and neck positioning to avoid a forward head posture pulling the spine forwards.

Massage

Massage is a very useful tool for treating kyphosis, particularly for getting the muscles in the chest to disengage and relax. General massage techniques such as efflurage are very effective, but more specialised techniques such as Soft Tissue Release (STR) and Muscle Energy Technique (MET) are great for resetting the resting length of a muscle. MET is also great for strengthening weak muscles.

Having a sports massage treatment once a week along side doing daily corrective exercises can be very effective in improving kyphosis, especially when the kyphosis is caused by repetitive positioning.

Habit Change

The last thing that we need to do in order to create lasting change, is to change the way we move from day to day. This habit change starts with doing the corrective exercises because those exercises will retrain our movement patterns. But we also need to think about our day to day positioning along side doing the exercises. How are we sitting? (Hopefully not on our tailbones!) How long are we sitting for? How are we bending forwards when we work? (Tip: hinge from the hips, not the spine) How is our head positioned when we look at a phone, read a book or drive a car?

Changing our daily habits can be challenging. It takes time to implement new ways of moving, but it can be done. The best way to adopt a new habit is to work on one habit at a time and tie those new habits into to things we already do so that a certain action or position can serve as a reminder to form the new habit. For example, perhaps it can be difficult to remember to sit without slouching every time we sit, but what if we started with sitting correctly on a dining chair. And what if we left a rolled up towel on the chair to sit on so that every time we sit down we are positioning our pelvis correctly which in turn will help us to correct the positioning of our spine.

You Can Stand Up Straighter

I have seen clients who have had immediate improvements in their ability to stand up straighter,  even after just one treatment. To see lasting change, it does take persistence, ensuring that you keep up with the exercises and habit changes and having Sports Massage Treatment sessions that are at regular intervals. But the good news is that in many cases kyphosis can be improved, enabling people to see a reduction or even elimination of pain, improving mobility so that people can look up with ease and also improving self confidence as some people find that having a rounded back can make them feel more self conscious or perhaps even anxious.

So I want to encourage you today, that if you have a forward curvature of the spine and it is causing pain, mobility or confidence issues, there is a lot you can do that may help to improve the condition. It takes time and perseverance, but there is indeed hope. Hopefully this article has given you an idea of what to focus on and the inspiration to keep going, keep working towards your goal.

If you would like massage treatment and a personalised exercise programme to enable you to work towards your goal, then get in touch and I would be happy to help you.