Postural kyphosis

How to tell if you have it

• Your upper back looks rounded in a side-on photo, but straightens when you deliberately stand tall.
• Lying face down and lifting your chest, the curve flattens out.
• It came on gradually through your teens or adult life rather than appearing quickly.
• There is no pain, or only the dull muscular ache of holding a position too long.

Why it happens

• Years of sitting and looking down, with the upper back held in flexion for most of waking hours.
• Weak back extensors and scapular stabilisers, which have no reason to work if nothing asks them to.
• Tight chest muscles pulling the shoulders forward, which rounds the upper back further.
• Loss of thoracic extension mobility — the spine stops being able to go the other way, not just choosing not to.

The exercises that address it

All bodyweight, all doable in the space beside a desk. Each one is in the app with a spoken instruction and a timer.

1. 01

   Thoracic Extension

   Restores the direction of movement your spine has lost. Everything else is harder until extension comes back.

2. 02

   Cobra Pose

   A prone press-up that extends the spine and opens the front of the body. A McKenzie staple for a reason.

3. 03

   Prone Y-T-W Raises

   Strengthens the scapular stabilisers that hold the upper back out of a slouch.

4. 04

   Wall Angels

   Trains extension and shoulder mobility at once, with a wall as the reference for what neutral is.

5. 05

   Superman

   Strengthens the back extensors — the muscles that hold you upright when you are not paying attention.

6. 06

   Doorway Chest Stretch

   Releases the chest tightness pulling the whole structure forward.

How long it takes

Mobility improves within two to four weeks and is the first thing you notice. The strength to hold the position takes eight to twelve weeks. This is a slower one than the others on this site, because you are changing a curve rather than a muscle.

When to see a clinician instead

Nothing on this page is a substitute for an assessment. Skip the exercises and book an appointment if any of this applies:

• A curve that does not straighten when you deliberately stand tall or lie face down and extend.
• A rigid, angular curve rather than a smooth round one — particularly in a teenager, which may be Scheuermann's kyphosis and needs a clinician.
• Back pain that is severe, getting worse, or comes with any numbness, weakness or breathing difficulty.

Questions

What's the difference between postural and structural kyphosis?

Postural kyphosis is flexible: the curve straightens when you make an effort or lie face down and extend. Structural kyphosis — Scheuermann's is the common form — involves a change in the shape of the vertebrae themselves, so the curve stays when you try to straighten it. The exercises on this page are for the postural kind. If yours does not straighten, see a clinician rather than working through a routine.

Can you fix kyphosis with exercise?

Postural kyphosis responds well to work on thoracic extension mobility plus back extensor and scapular strength. Structural kyphosis does not straighten with exercise, though exercise still helps with the strength and comfort around it. Which one you have is the question that decides everything, and it is worth answering first.

Is kyphosis the same as a hunchback?

'Hunchback' is a colloquial term for a pronounced kyphosis, usually a structural one. Most people searching for it have the everyday postural version, which is far milder and far more changeable.

How much curve is normal?

A thoracic curve in the region of 20 to 45 degrees is generally considered normal, and it varies between healthy people. Measuring it properly needs an X-ray, so the useful home question is not the number but whether the curve straightens when you try — that is what separates postural from structural.