A patient of mine saw her Great Aunt Zelda in a photo recently. Only it wasn't her Aunt. It was herself.
Dowagers Hump or Hyperkyphosis is often thought to be entirely due to osteoporosis as we age but that's a simplistic (and fatalistic) view. While many certainly lose bone density as they age the cause (in our country) is mostly a deconditioning of the neuromuscular postural system that fights the pull of gravity.
Certainly some problems are due to direct joint trauma but in addition humans were not designed to sit motionless for long periods. When you add up all the time at school, travelling and the office you realise that a considerable amount of your LIFE is spent physically idle and the fact is we are made to move. Smart phones, ipads and gaming add considerably to the problem.
Is there anything we can do?
The human body is extremely adaptable. You don't need to quit life and become a hunter gatherer (although it would help). Simply making yourself aware of your posture is a start. By the time we see people they have literally seized up and don't have enough joint movement to be able to stand normally no matter how aware they are and even if they did have movement the muscles are too weak.
Once joint restriction is addressed you need some effective exercises.
The link below shows some very good ones. You don't need a gym but if you're unfamiliar with resistance exercise get some advice first either from your health care provider, trainer or muscle bound friend.
All the best.
http://posture-n-motion.blogspot.com.au/ shows movements that target the upper back which atrophies when you're a chronic stooper.
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