What is a hunchback?
A hunchback is when a person has a convex curve at the level of the thoracic spine, also known as a hump. The medical term is kyphosis or scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine). Hyperkyphosis is when the hunchback is more pronounced.
Where does the hunchback come from?
A hunchback can have various causes. Older people can suffer from osteoporosis and the associated fractures of the vertebral bodies lead to misalignments in the spine, which can cause kyphosis to form. But diseases such as Scheuermann's disease, which is a congenital developmental disorder, or degenerative diseases such as Bekhterev's disease can also promote the formation of a hunchback. In many cases, however, kyphosis is not caused by other diseases, but by the fact that a person moves little, sits a lot and sits incorrectly, and simply lacks the muscles to maintain a natural, upright posture. The spine is held up by the muscles. If the muscles are missing, you tend to slump over and over again. In the long run, this bad posture wears out the intervertebral discs and kyphosis develops.
However the hunchback develops, it is often associated with pain due to the unnatural bending of the spine.
What can you do if you have a hunchback?
Whether you are affected or want to prevent a hunchback, the remedy of choice is exercise and targeted muscle building to stabilise the spine. There are specific exercises for and against a hunchback, such as stretching the chest muscles (musculus pectoralis minor and pectoralis major), and the muscles that act on the shoulder girdle - these are the so-called anterior saw muscle (musculus serratus anterior) and the large back muscle (musculus latissimus dorsi).
Independent of therapeutic exercises and back exercises, however, one should change one's sitting behaviour. Considering that the average German spends up to 10 hours a day sitting - because he works, eats, watches TV etc. while sitting - this seems difficult. But you can even bring movement and mobility into your everyday sitting routine. The active seating furniture from Aeris such as Swopper, Muvman and 3Dee can provide good support here, as they have a patented 3D technology that provides more than twice as much movement when sitting than conventional office chairs.
3D technology means that movement is possible in three dimensions, because the Aeris chairs with 3D ergonomics encourage intuitive, spontaneous and self-determined movements. Sitting thus becomes back-friendly, active sitting: forwards, backwards, sideways and vertically. Upright and changing sitting positions happen automatically, which is good for the intervertebral discs and incidentally trains the abdominal and back muscles, which in turn stabilises the spine.
If you sit in a naturally moving position, you actively prevent posture problems and can also counteract a hunched back.
