Question
Hello - I am a 45 year-old female with a bulging disk in C-5 & C-6 region(diagnosed in the past 6 months).  In the past year or so I've also developed a protruding bony hump on my upper back that seems to have enlarged.  I've gained approximately 20 pounds in the past year, as well, after I stopped exercising regularly.  The cosmetic appearance is unsettling, but the thing that is bothering me the most now is the pain that has developed in the hump. The pain doesn't occur on a daily basis, but it is achey and annoying when it does occur - mainly when I'm in the recliner chair in the afternoons or evenings.  I'm not sure whether to see a chiropractor, an orthopedic doctor, or an endocronologist! What has been your experience with these kinds of symptoms?
Thank you,
Lori from Indiana

Answer
Hi Lori,

It sounds like you have what's called a "Dowager's Hump."   You can blame your mother...it's genetic.   It is fleshy mound that develops over the worsening curve of your upper thoracic spine just below your neck at the level of your shoulders.    For some it is part and parcel of aging/degenerative changes to the spine.   There is no cure for it, and it is not really seen as a medical condition, but rather a cosmetic one.   Pain is another story.    You can have pain in this part of your neck or upper back and not have a hump, and visa versa.    Orthopedic physicians are surgeons, and they have no interest in this, nor can they cut it out, so you'd be wasting their time and yours.   It's not an endocrinologic disorder.   You'd be better served to see a chiropractor and a physical therapist to address why you have pain and to provide the manual therapy and exercise, posture, and ergonomic strategies to find relief.  

'Hope this was helpful,

Dr. G'