Certain core training, muscle-strengthening, and flexibility activities have been demonstrated to help prevent or lessen hyperkyphosis. You can add the following activities and behaviors into your fitness routine:
- Yoga
- Posture awareness
- Techniques for physical therapy
Yoga
In a six-month randomized controlled trial of adults 60 and older with hyperkyphosis who did not have major medical conditions and did not use any assistive devices, those who attended an hour-long yoga class three days per week improved their degree of spinal curvature more than the non-yoga comparison group. The yoga included was limited to four specific positions that targeted spinal extension, all yoga in general may not be useful.
Awareness of Posture
To avoid increasing kyphosis, check your posture at regular intervals. "Paying attention to your postural alignment and straightening up your spine can be incredibly advantageous and crucial to keep it from becoming a fixed curvature," Katzman explains. "Reversing the bent curvature numerous times a day can therefore be beneficial in preventing it from becoming permanent."
Configure text or calendar reminders. In a tiny, six-week pilot research, older persons with hyperkyphosis were texted to do a few easy exercises and check their posture at least three times each day.
According to Katzman, the study published in JMIR Aging, participants improved in kyphosis and physical function, suggesting that a low-tech, easy-to-apply strategy can transform your posture and capacity to function.
Rehabilitation Therapy
Consider consulting a physical therapist. A physical therapist can advise you on posture-improvement measures. In a six-month study led by Katzman, individuals who attended a physical therapist-directed group exercise program in three weekly, hour-long sessions improved their posture angle more than those who did not, especially those over 75.
