Hunchback shoulders. How to avoid this rounded shoulder posture.

The term hunchback shoulders goes by many names.  Sometimes it is called rounded shoulders, rolled shoulders, or more technically…kyphosis.  We have all seen this poor posture when your upper back becomes rounded and your shoulders appear to squeeze in on themselves to the front.  There are several attributing causes for this posture and also several things you can do to fix it.

Medical conditions can cause

rounded shoulders.

This article is geared toward the person who is free from medical conditions, and who has fallen into a bad habit of rounding their shoulders.  This is the case for most, and luckily this is also the person to can make considerable changes to their appearance. 

But there are some considerable medical conditions like osteoporosis, cancer, birth defects, and numerous diseases that can cause the rounded shoulder condition.  For medical conditions or syndromes that are causing rolled shoulders, you should seek professional guidance from a doctor.

Frequent causes of a hunchback posture.

The hunchback seems to be more and more common these days, and part of this is due to the amount of time we are sitting in front of a screen. You happen to be looking at a screen right now, and without changing your current posture, take note if you are sitting up straight with your shoulders pulled back. I bet are you are not.

Long held postures.

Because we can spend hours in this rounded shoulders posture, especially if working a desk job, some muscles become stretched out a bit, while others become tighter.  This is a wicked combination that causes a downward spiral away from good posture, and deeper and deeper into the hunchback look.

When you are sitting with rounded shoulders, the muscles in your upper back become stretched out.  This is commonly accompanied by increasing weakness.  And the muscles on the opposing side, the front of you, become tight.  When muscles around the back of your shoulder are weak and the muscles in the front are tight, guess what happens?  Yes, your shoulders, or more accurately your shoulder blades and everything attached, roll forward, leaving you with a hunchback appearance.

Maybe just a bad habit?

People often fall into the rolled shoulder posture out of habit as well.  This can often start when we are very young.  It is not uncommon for tall children to assume this posture if they are self-conscious about their height and want to appear shorter.  This hunchback posture is also sometimes thought, whether accurately or inaccurately, to be linked to low self-esteem.  A person with rolled shoulders can appear defeated, while the person standing straight and tall exudes confidence.  While these two examples certainly do not apply to everyone, the point is that many people have often ingrained this posture for many years into a hard-to-break habit.

Fixing the rounded shoulders, hunchback look.

First, let’s stretch out the muscles on your front side.  If not, the muscles on the back of your shoulders are in a continual tug-of-war with the front. 

Stretches can often be done multiple times a day, can be held up to 30 seconds, and can be repeated a few times.

A great stretch for a hunchback.

Using a belt, towel, or even a broomstick, spread your hands out and lift it up and over your head. Hold that position for several seconds and repeat. If your shoulders are tight, you might have to spread your arms out wide.

Corner or doorway stretch for rounded shoulders.

This is a perfect stretch that can be done in any corner or a doorway. Put your hands about shoulder height and lean into the stretch, feeling the muscles across the front of your shoulders and chest. Hold for several seconds and repeat.

After stretching the muscles in the front, it is time to strengthen the muscles in the back.  This is essential to improve rolled shoulders. Strengthening your back muscles will be done more effectively with some form of resistance.  There are various forms of resistance, especially if you are in a fully equipped gym, but here are a couple of examples using equipment you may have at home….rubber bands and dumbbells.

Rubber band exercise to straighten shoulders.

Although your arms are going through a fairly big range of motion, concentrate on what your shoulder blades are doing.  You should squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull them down.  Imagine as you are bringing your arms back, that you are squeezing your shoulder blades together and down toward your back pockets.  This is a fantastic exercise for improving the rolled shoulder appearance. 

Dumbbell exercise for better posture.

Use a weight that is very challenging to get to 15 repetitions. It does not matter where you place your feet, but it is important that your chin is over the top of the bench with your chest supported. Let the weights all the way down until your arms are straight, and then bring your elbows up toward the ceiling with a rowing motion, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together and down toward your back pockets.

These two exercises are a great starting point, especially when accompanied by the stretches shown.  To see optimal improvements in a hunchback appearance, you should have a formal program established, that is customized to your fitness level and limitations.  That is what we do with our personal training services at Sensible Fitness.