I'm like the Hunchback of Notre Dame :(

you should google scoliosis. My brother has it and his back looks like urs. he does back exercises, I'm sure u can find those online as well

Hello,
I have mild scoliosis and my doctor has told me that when you work out do workout that strengthen your back muscles. Those muscle help your bones from shifting. While you are sitting or standing make sure you have really good posture (it sucks getting used to it) b/c that also will help it from getting worse. I am not a doctor so I don't know how to make it stop, as mine will probably never stop and will only worsen. Other than that your option is to go to a chiropractor who is going to want to see you 2 times a week and cost you a TON of money. In the end I know that the only way to stop mine is surgically. I hope that helps!

My upper back is a little deformed as you can tell from this photo:
http://i56.tinypic.com/24zxgqq.jpg

I would love to go to a chiropractor, so he or she can give me exercises I can include in my daily exercise, but I don't have health insurance.

Has anyone ever had this problem? I'm 17 and I've had it for so long but it took me awhile to realize it. It sometimes causes me neck pain. Is there any exercise I could do at home that can help align my spine in the meantime?

Are you sure it's spinal? Might it be a fat pad on the back of your neck?

I may be getting a little too far ahead of myself, but a fat pad on the back of the neck may be a sign of Cushing's Syndrome. I'm a part of a forum where a lot of women have metabolic disorders and many women come in complaining about their "hump." And then, most of them are diagnosed with Cushing's Syndrome.

Not to be scary or obnoxious (internet diagnosis-y), but that was the fist thing I thought of...all those "hunch-backed" women in my other forum. Just trying to be helpful, please don't take offense.

A dowagers hump comes from forward head posture...it is from the head being in the forward position for so long that the facet joints of the spine are stuck open in the lower cervical spine. This many people have...I would say 90% of my clientele I treat for this problem. Everyone that is interested try this once you might be SHOCKED...women and men tend to have this issue... mainly based on the job you do daily or carrying kids. Take your finger and push in on your pectoral muscles I am sure if you have this they are going to be VERY tender, probably more than you ever realized. You shouldnt be able to take a broom stick and touch both shoulders with it...your chest should be in the way majority of the time. EveryBODY is different. With hypertonic or tight pectoral muscles this causes pain in the upper back in the rhomboid area which can also cause forward head posture.. The human head weighs on average 7-8 pounds if placed in good posture about your shoulders...if forward it can weigh as much as 43 pounds. For example...hold your arm out to your side for 10 seconds...not very heavy right... Now do it for 12 hours like your head does all day long..this is easily fixable in early years... if you let it go you create arthritis and fusion in the vertebra and then you are stuck like that..

here is some info I found...it covers a lot of it. Its called upper crossed syndrome. http://www.drbookspan.com/NeckPainArticle.html

Hope some of this helps everyone.. work on this its important and will make you feel amazing and look 10 years younger.

Most states have programs where children can get insurance, you should be eligible if your mom is unemployed.
Good Luck.

Migraines... come from the same stuff I am speaking of as well. Had a client with migraines 3-4 times a week.. Where she had to call off work all the time. After 3 months of treatment for upper cross syndrome she no longer had any migraines. It has been a year now and she is still migraine free. Do the research and find someone to help you. I would love to if I was able.. buy me a private jet and i am all over it! =0)

LOL you're too funny!!

Maybe for the OP it could be upper cross syndrome but I think the more I look at the wiki description I'm fitting 80-90% of the symptoms. So a full dr. appt with blood work is in the cards for me.

The only reason why I question Cushings is because I know for a fact that I do have hormone issues that effect my cycles and fertility. So it's either completely separate (which is very plausable) or it's all related and no one has connected the dots (also very plausable) lol I hope I just have bad posture though. :happy: