Kyphosis Exercises

By Editorial Team (2)

May 14, 2021

Prone Extension

Starting Position: Lying face down on the floor. Both arms are down by your side, palms up; feet together.

Slowly raise your chest off the floor as far as you can, but don’t hyper-extend your back
Squeeze your shoulder blades together
Lift both arms and rotate them in an external direction, making sure to keep your head in a straight line with your body
Hold for a count of 10
Slowly return to the starting position and relax
Repeat 5 -10 times

Reverse Fly

You will need a set of lightweight dumbbells for this exercise.

Starting position: Sitting on the end of the weight bench, back straight, holding the dumbbells.

Tense your abdominal muscles
Bend forward to bring your chest to your knees
Keeping your elbows slightly bent, lift your arms to the level of your shoulders while squeezing your shoulder blades together
Now, straighten and lower your arms on both sides of your body.
Return to the starting position and relax.
Repeat 10 times

Dumbbell Shrug

You will need a set of moderate-weight dumbbells for this exercise.

Starting position: Standing with feet about a hip-width apart, holding moderate-weight dumbbells.

Keep your shoulders down and back.
Tense your abdominal muscles
Slowly lift and lower your shoulders, as if you are shrugging them
Repeat 10 times and relax.

Hamstring Stretch

Starting position: Lying on your back, arms at your side, legs straight and about a foot apart.

Tense your abdominal muscles
Lift your left leg off the floor and slowly bring it toward your chest
Place both of your hands behind your leg to pull it in toward your chest until you fill mild tension
Hold the tension for a count of five
Return to the starting position and relax. Repeat with your right leg.
Do 5-10 repetitions with each leg.

Corrective Exercises for Excessive Thoracic Kyphosis

One form of kyphosis exercise that is essential is foam rolling because it helps improve mobility in the thoracic spine. A useful way to use the foam roll is to lay it on the floor, then lay down on it, with the stiff area of your thoracic spine on it. Keep your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Arch your back over the foam and roll across it. You can use the foam roll daily. It’s usually best to use it before stretching, as it helps to make the joints in the thoracic spine more mobile.

Stretch and Strengthen: After learning how to correctly use the foam roll, it’s important to learn how to stretch the front of the shoulder, the pectoral muscles, along with strengthening the posterior area of the spine and shoulder. Strengthening the scapular retractors can change the position of the shoulder blade at rest in people who have abducted scapulae. Some specific exercises to lengthen and increase flexibility include:

The static latissimus stretch: This is done with a stability ball. Start on all fours. Now, Stretch one arm out with the forearm and hand are on the stability ball. Hold this position for a count of 30, then relax and repeat on the opposite side. Do the exercise twice on each site. Tightness in this area often pulls the shoulders forward which increases kyphosis.
The 90-degree table top backstretch: The only equipment you need for this exercise is a countertop or table. It allows you to move the apex of the curvature of the kyphosis to a more neutral position while also working out the latissimus muscles. This will help loosen up stiff joints.
- Place your feet about a shoulders-width apart
- Tighten your abdominal muscles
- Keep your shoulders and back straight
- Now, bend forward from the hips and lift your arms straight up and out in front of you
- Put your forearms on the countertop or table to help support you as you try to achieve a 90-degree angle
- Your ears should be aligned with your arms, and your arms should be straight
- Keep your back as horizontal as you can, like a table top.
- Hold this position for about one to two minutes (or as long as you can)

The chest stretch: This provides a good amount of stretch for your chest muscles.
- Lie on the floor on your back. Your knees should be bent and your feet are flat on the floor.
- Bend your elbows and point them out to the side
- Position your hands at the back of your neck
- Keeping your rib cage and back pressed onto the floor, gently press your elbows down to the floor
- When you feel tension across the front of your chest, stop and hold the tension for a count of 20 to 30 seconds.
- Return to the starting position and relax
- Repeat 2-3 times

Dynamic Mobility Movements

The repetitive arch-up

This kyphosis exercise can help improve postural kyphosis by targeting areas of the spine that are hyper-kyphotic.

Starting position: Lying face down on a mat on the floor. Your legs will remain flat on the floor throughout the exercise.

Bend your arms at the elbows and place one hand on top of the other, palms down
With your forehead placed on top of your hands, you are looking straight down
Tighten your abdominal muscles
Keeping your forehead still on your hands, lift your chest, arms and head off the floor
Lift the upper half of your body as much as you can without moving your legs
Hold this tension for a count of 10. You should feel a stretch in your abdomen, back, and chest
Return your upper body to the floor and relax.
Repeat 10 times

Prone elbow lifts

Starting position: Lying face down on a mat on the floor.

Turn your head slightly to one side
Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle
Tense your abdominal muscles
Gently lift your chest and head off the mat
Bring your elbows up and a little toward the center of your body
Hold this position for a count of 15.
Slowly lower your body to the mat and relax
Repeat the exercise 10 times

Y-T-V-L

This is a simple kyphosis exercise to change a stiff thoracic area into one that is more mobile. It is more like a step than a true lunge.

Starting Position: The patient is in a posterior lunge position on the right leg, making sure the right heel stays on the floor. The right pelvis will tilt in an anterior direction toward the lumbar spine. Place your hand in the lumbar spine area and notice the increase in the lumbar curvature.

Extend the right arm into Y position
Repeat the step and move the right arm into T position
Repeat the step and move the right arm into V position
Repeat the step and move the right arm into L position

This pattern of movement creates scapular retraction of the scapula, the thoracic spine is extended, the lumbar spine gains lordosis, the cervical spine position improves when the head comes back and the posture is improved. The patient can use a stretch band to add resistance as the arm is extended to work the posterior shoulder. A lightweight dumbbell can also be added in the right hand.

5-10 repetitions should be performed, 2 or 3 sets. Then repeat on the left side. Remember to change the position of the legs.

Thread the needle

For this kyphosis exercise, the patient is in the quadruped position and the spine is neutral with the weight on the knees.

Bring the left arm to the side, level with the chest and shoulder
Using the right shoulder blade, rotate the thoracic spine
Perform 10 repetitions
Repeat with the right arm

Seated thoracic rotation

This works best in the seated position works best when the patient is sitting cross-legged with a ball between the knees. This position blocks movement of the pelvis and minimizes movement in the lumbar spine, allowing the thoracic area to be targeted.

Lace the hands and place them behind the head
Rotate the elbows and the thoracic spine to the left and to the right
Laterally bend the thoracic spine to the left and to the right
Combine lateral bending and rotation

Modified Child’s Pose

This is another kyphosis exercise which is a modification of a yoga pose.

Starting position: Sitting on the floor or on a chair

Kneel back, buttocks on heels
Rest the body on the thighs, and stretch the arms out forward onto the floor
Roll the palm up and lift the left hand up from the floor
Hold the position for a count of ten
Return to the starting position and relax
Repeat 10 times
Repeat with the right side

Remedial strength exercise

This kyphosis exercise is for the lower trapezius muscles. It strengthens the postural muscles in the back and lengthens the muscles in the chest.

Starting position: Face down with legs extended, about a hip-width apart. Arms are by the sides and shoulders are down, away from the ears.

Breathe in and tense your lower abdominal muscles
As you breathe out, raise your chest and head off the floor, pulling your shoulder blades down
Inhale and hold this position for a count of 10
Exhale and relax, slowly moving back to the starting position
Repeat 10 times

Advanced kyphosis exercise program

Pull-ups can actually be used as an exercise to effectively help kyphosis.

Single-arm dumbbell rows:

Hold a dumbbell in your left hand
Place your right hand and your left knee on a weight bench
Hold the weight with your arm straight out
Using the muscles of your upper back, pull the dumbbell upward and backward toward your hip.
Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbell.
Pull the dumbbell up, passing your elbow past your torso
Repeat 10 times
Change positions to the opposite side and repeat

Barbell bent-over row:

Stand and hold a barbell overhand with your hands a little more than a shoulder-width apart

Bend your body forward, pushing your hips back until your torso is almost parallel with the floor, keeping a slight bend in the knees
Pull the bar toward your ribs
Make a pause, then lower the bar
Repeat 10 times

Seated wide-grip row:

Sit on the floor or on a weight bench.

Lean forward and grab a lateral pull down the bar from a pulley cable. You could also use an exercise band.
With a wide overhand grip, pull the band or bar toward the middle of your body.
Resist, extending your arms in front.
Pull the bar, keeping your back straight.

Exercise ball extension:

Lie face down on an exercise ball; hook your feet under a bench or push them against a wall.
Your chest should not be on the ball
Cross your arms and bend at the waist forward until the midsection of your body is covering the ball
Lift your torso off the ball. It should be in line with the lower part of your body when you are at the highest part of the move

Reverse fly: