Stand Up Straight!

Growing up, I can remember countless adults lecturing me on my posture. “Sit up straight!” “Stop slouching!” I’d listen and sit up nice and tall, but eventually find myself slouching once again--until the next time I was reminded to stop slouching by one of those annoying adults.

You know what? They were right.

Believe it or not, there is a proven link between the degree of curve in one’s back and one’s overall health. All of us should have a natural curve in our midback that is known as a kyphosis. As we age, that normal kyphosis sometimes begins to increase in size, developing into a hyperkyphosis, commonly called a “hunchback.” It is estimated that up to 40% of the elderly population have this condition, and it isn’t something that just looks uncomfortable. There is growing evidence of increasing health problems with postural changes in the midback.

Apart from being a cosmetic deformity, older persons who suffer from hyperkyphosis are at increased risk for a variety of adverse health outcomes that include increased muscle and joint pain and stiffness, decreased pulmonary (lung) capacity, falls, fractures, and even earlier mortality. As one’s midback develops more of a “hunch,” it becomes more difficult to get a deep breath, which in turn results in less oxygen intake with each breath.

Most clinicians and patients assume that midback hyperkyphosis is a result of underlying spinal fractures that result from osteoporosis, but approximately two thirds of those who are most hyperkyphotic don’t have vertebral fractures. Over the past few years, there has been increased awareness and focus on potential effective treatments for age-related hyperkyphosis. Of these treatments, exercise-based interventions and spinal chiropractic adjustments are conservative rehabilitation management techniques that have shown promise in improving the health of affected patients.

Exercises that strengthen the shoulder muscles and midback help to increase the possible range of motion. In addition, chiropractic adjustments to the midback can improve the passive ranges of motion that are possible when the patient arches the back.

If you’ve noticed an increasing “hunch” in your midback, remember what your mom was always telling you—sit up straight! It’s more important than you may have thought!