Neck Hump | Dowager's Hump | Neck and Shoulder problems

Neck and shoulder problems are a most common complaint in acupuncture clinics. Many people come with a hump at the base of neck. It is called "Dowager's Hump" in English and in Chinese it carries a funny name "富贵包" (Wealthy Hump).

From anatomy point of view, chronic bad posture of Forward Head is the major cause. A head weighs quite a bit, if it pulls forward for long time, the neck has to stand much stress. Therefore a hump gradually develops to protect the stressed neck base. It is usually a thicker fat pad inside. People with more body fat will see it growing bigger as getting older. Long-term carrying heavy weight on shoulder can induce the neck hump too, but it probably is not a common cause in modern lifestyle.

Dowager's hump is not only unsightful but also causing sore muscles or stiff muscles in the neck and shoulder area. Worse scenarios may include dizziness and / or numbness in the arm.

Dowager's hump is usually centered around between the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra and the first thoracic vertebra. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is precisely where the acupuncture point Da Zhui (大椎穴) is located. Da Zhui is the meeting point of the Du vessel with another six yang channels. Da Zhui connects head and body. When Da Zhui is jammed, you can imagine how bad the consequences will be to have a major highway with seven lanes jammed up. Except those symptoms that are directly related to this neck hump, working on this area can improve whole body's wellbeing .

Stretching and exercising during long work hours on computer, keeping good posture can help reducing the discomfort. Receiving regular acupuncture maintenance is even better.