Yoga guide
Kyphosis is the forward curve of your upper back; when it's bigger than usual, your back looks rounded or hunched. Yoga can help a little, mostly through poses that strengthen the muscles along your spine. In the one trial of yoga for a rounded upper back, 6 months of classes improved two measures of the curve by about 4% to 5% in adults over 60, but those were secondary measures, the yoga group's own curve lessened by under a degree, and the trial's main measure didn't change.
Yoga sits beside care from your GP, and your osteoporosis team if your bones are fragile, never in place of it. It won't reshape bones that are wedge-shaped or have fractured.
This guide covers the kinds of kyphosis and when a new hunch needs a GP, what the yoga and exercise trials show, the poses to build on, the swaps if you have osteoporosis or have had a spinal fracture, Scheuermann's in teenagers, and our 25-minute yoga for posture class, which is built the same way as the trial's classes.
In 118 adults aged 60 and over, hour-long classes 3 times a week for 6 months improved two secondary measures of the curve by 4.4% and 5% against monthly talks, and the yoga group's own curve lessened by under a degree. The main measure, height, chair stands and quality of life didn't change.
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The best exercise trial reduced the curve by 3 degrees on X-ray after 6 months of spine-strengthening and posture classes, and 24 studies agree on a small effect. Stretching on its own doesn't change posture, so the face-down back lifts matter most.
The NHS says physiotherapy exercises help back pain and stiffness "But they will not improve the curve in your spine or stop it getting worse". Trials find a few degrees at most, so the gains to look for are strength, comfort and confidence.
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Only about 40% of people with the most curved backs have spinal fractures, but a new or growing hunch, height loss or sudden back pain needs a GP. Many spinal fractures are never noticed.
A UK consensus recommends back-strengthening exercises held 3 to 5 seconds and repeated 3 to 5 times, at least twice a week, and modifying deep or repeated forward bending. Spinal fractures have been reported after yoga poses that fold the spine forward.
Back pain with numbness or weakness in both legs, bladder or bowel changes or chest pain needs 999; sudden back pain after a minor fall, lift or cough needs a GP. The full list is below.
Seen from the side, your upper back curves gently backwards. The angle grows after 40, faster in women, from an average of 43 degrees at 55 to 60 to 52 degrees at 76 to 80. A curve over about 40 degrees is usually called hyperkyphosis, and 20% to 40% of older adults have one, though there's no agreed cut-off for older people.
Postural kyphosis "often affects teenagers. It's the most common type". In Scheuermann's kyphosis, the back of the spinal bones grows faster than the front, which "makes the vertebrae wedge-shaped". Congenital kyphosis, from a spine that didn't form properly before birth, is rare. Kyphosis can also follow a spinal injury, arthritis or osteoporosis.
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Disc wear, weaker back muscles, habits of posture and spinal fractures all play a part, and genes account for about half of the differences between people. Each spinal fracture adds about 3.8 degrees.
A postural slouch straightens when you stand tall or lie flat; a curve from wedge-shaped or fractured bones doesn't. Our kyphosis guide explains how a curve is measured and has two self-checks.
As back-extensor strength, posture practice, upper-back movement, breathing and balance, the same ingredients as the best exercise trial, next to your GP and your osteoporosis team.
Only about 40% of people with the most severe curves have spinal fractures; disc wear and weaker muscles explain many of the rest.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society lists "unexplained back pain and muscle spasms", "height loss" and "a curved spine or change in posture" as signs, and says you may not always know a spinal fracture has happened. It also says "spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis do not cause paralysis".
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A spinal fracture takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal, in its new compressed shape, so it can leave height loss and a more curved back. The NHS says some older people develop a stooped posture when spinal bones have broken.
See your GP about a new or growing hunch, height loss or back pain you can't explain. Osteoporosis medicines reduce the risk of more fractures; yoga sits alongside them, not in place of them.
One yoga trial has tested yoga for kyphosis, so this guide also draws on exercise trials, and says where it does.
In 118 adults aged 60 and over (average age 75, a quarter with a spinal fracture), hour-long hatha classes 3 times a week for 24 weeks were compared with monthly lunch talks. Against the talks group, the flexicurve angle improved by 4.4% (about 1.8 degrees) and a related index by 5%, but these were secondary outcomes, and the yoga group's own curve lessened by under a degree (0.93 degrees) while the talks group's grew by 0.82 degrees. The trial's main measure of the curve, height, chair stands, walking speed and quality of life didn't change.
There were "No negative side effects of Yoga", and the yoga group reported less upper back pain. Half came to at least 80% of classes. The trial was registered two years after it ended, and its authors called it "developmental, not definitive".
In 21 women aged 60 and over, two 1-hour classes a week for 12 weeks went with half a centimetre more height and 2 cm less distance from ear to wall, but the curve angle didn't change. There were no side effects, and there was no comparison group.
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Our search found no later yoga trial for the curve. A small Turkish trial of hatha yoga and reformer Pilates in younger adults is listed as recruiting, past its planned end, with no results. A 10-week study in women who weren't chosen for kyphosis gave no effect sizes, and comparing practitioners with students can't show that yoga caused a difference.
Across 24 studies of adults aged 45 and over, exercise reduced the curve by a small amount (moderate certainty), with small gains in quality of life and pain; falls weren't reduced, and there were no serious side effects. A 2025 analysis of 19 studies (1,084 people) found a somewhat larger effect, at low certainty.
In the SHEAF trial (Study of Hyperkyphosis, Exercise and Function), 99 adults aged 60 to 88 did physiotherapist-led spine strengthening and posture classes, 1 hour 3 times a week for 6 months, plus posture practice at home. Their curve fell 3 degrees more than a health education group's, "approximating the magnitude of change from an incident vertebral fracture". Physical function didn't change, and 1.6 degrees came back in the 6 months after the classes stopped.
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One review found programmes over 13 weeks did slightly better; another judged programmes over 3 months ineffective in older adults. Adding breathing techniques helped teenagers but not older adults, in 5 small studies.
In 21 women, 12 weeks of group exercise went with 5 to 6 degrees less curve, with no comparison group. Treat figures like this as the most you might see, not what to expect.
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Two years of back-strengthening didn't change posture on X-ray in 60 women overall. Ten years later, the 50 who were followed up had fewer spinal fractures if they'd done the exercises (1.6% of their spinal bones against 4.3%), a small study.
A 2025 consensus of 20 stretching researchers agreed that stretch training doesn't improve posture. Chest openers can feel good; the back lifts do the work.
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The NHS page on kyphosis says: "If you have physiotherapy, you may be given some specific exercises to help reduce back pain and stiffness. But they will not improve the curve in your spine or stop it getting worse." It also says "You should be able to exercise if you have kyphosis. Strengthening your core muscles (the muscles around your tummy and lower back) can help."
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The trials above found small reductions in the curve, a few degrees at most, mostly in age-related curves. That fits the NHS's caution: exercise won't straighten a structural curve or one from fractured bones, and the main gains are strength, comfort and how you move. Our reading is that both are true.
In 1,578 older adults, the bigger the curve, the more often people needed their arms to get up from a chair (nearly 4 times the odds at the biggest curves).
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A bigger curve went with injurious falls in 1,883 older adults (asked about at the same visit), with more falls over a year in 72 older adults, and with somewhat more falls over 3 years in older men (12% more for each standard step up in the curve). These are links; strength and balance training are what reduce falls.
Women with a hunched posture had about 1.7 times the risk of a future fracture, and in older adults a hunched posture went with earlier death. In older women, the link with death was mainly in those who already had spinal fractures. None of this shows that changing the curve changes the risk.
The NHS says a severe curve can cause "very bad back pain and difficulty breathing", and the UK consensus recommends breathing exercises for symptoms made worse by a severe curve.
The trial's hour-long classes ran in four series, getting harder every few weeks: lying on your back (breathing, arm raises, a half bridge, knees to chest and a supported lying twist), in a chair (arm raises, a seated cobra, warrior II and a seated twist), on the floor and face down (cat and cow, balancing cat, locust with blankets under the chest, and sphinx), and standing with a chair for balance (mountain, chair pose, warrior I, puppy at the wall and wall push-ups). People were told not to raise their arms to extreme positions.
With osteoporosis, keep the knees-to-chest and lying twists gentle and the rounding small, as the UK consensus advises. Our 25-minute yoga for posture class uses the same building blocks without the rounded positions.
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Repeat each back-strengthening pose 3 to 5 times, holding each lift for 3 to 5 seconds, at least twice a week: the UK consensus dose. The Royal Osteoporosis Society's posture exercises use a similar dose, on 2 or 3 days a week with a day's rest in between. Lift a little, keep your neck long and your eyes down, and lower slowly.
The trials ran classes 3 times a week for 6 months, and some of the change faded when they stopped. Our editorial starting point is our 25-minute class 2 or 3 times a week, judged after about 3 months by how you feel and move.
Practising standing and sitting tall a few times a day was SHEAF's home programme.
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The UK consensus recommends balance and strength exercise, including yoga, at least twice a week to reduce falls, and older adults should do strength, balance and flexibility work on at least 2 days a week. Walking and leg strength work add the rest.
Locust and low cobra: 3 to 5 lifts, each held 3 to 5 seconds, at least twice a week (the UK consensus dose, as in our yoga for posture class). Sphinx: 2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths, and bird dog: 5 each arm and leg, holding 3 to 5 seconds (our yoga for posture class). The seated upper-back lift: 3 to 5 repetitions held 3 to 5 seconds (the move's page). Y-T-W raises: 5 of each letter (our kyphosis exercises for seniors routine).
3D demoLocust pose (Salabhasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoLow cobra (Bhujangasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoBird dog, one limb at a timeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSeated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Beginner · A bench or box
3D demoProne Y-T-W raisesBeginner · No equipmentMountain pose: 5 to 10 slow breaths, 2 or 3 times; breath reach: 5 breaths, breathing out longer than in (the moves' pages). Chin tuck: 5 holds of 3 to 5 seconds, and wall angel: 8 slow slides, in a small range if your back is very curved (our kyphosis exercises for seniors routine). High lunge with your arms up, 3 to 5 breaths each side, chair pose, 3 holds of 5 breaths, and tree pose by a wall, 3 to 5 breaths each side (our yoga for posture class).
3D demoMountain pose (Tadasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoBreath reachBeginner · No equipment
3D demoChin tuckBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWall angelBeginner · A wall
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoTree pose (Vrksasana)Beginner · No equipmentCat-cow: 8 slow waves, keeping the rounding small with osteoporosis; thoracic rotation: 6 each side; the open book: 8 to 10 each side (the moves' pages). Thread the needle: about 5 slow breaths each side (our yoga for posture class). Doorway chest opener: 2 holds of 30 seconds each side, elbow at or below shoulder height (our kyphosis exercises for seniors routine), for comfort only.
Slow breathing: 2 minutes lying with your knees bent, in for about 4 and out for about 6 (our yoga for posture class), or at least 5 minutes as a practice on its own (the move's page). Corpse pose: 5 minutes with your knees on a cushion and a folded blanket under your head if your chin pokes up; roll to your side to get up (our yoga for posture class, with our suggestion of the blanket).
Sit to stand: 8 to 10 slow stands; tandem stance: 30 seconds each way round, then 10 steps (our yoga for osteoporosis class). Single-leg stand: 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each leg, beside a wall (our Pilates for osteoporosis class).
It asks for "'how to' rather than 'don't do'", noting that most people with osteoporosis are unlikely to fracture during these activities. "Movements or exercise that involve sustained, repeated or end-range flexion should be modified or avoided." "Rotation (twisting) movements should be safe if performed smoothly and comfortably." People who already move comfortably and smoothly can carry on.
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The consensus recommends daily back-strengthening, with a physiotherapist's advice, and says "Yoga and Pilates and similar exercise programmes should be considered to help with posture and pain", ideally led by an instructor trained to work with older people or osteoporosis. In trials after a spinal fracture, exercise made a timed walk about 1 second quicker; its effects on fractures and falls are very uncertain.
Modify or avoid exercises that round your back deeply or repeatedly, especially with a weight: sit-ups, toe touches, Pilates roll-downs and curl-ups, and extreme yoga forward folds. Bend from the hips instead. You do not need to avoid bending, twisting or lifting altogether: move smoothly and keep your upper back straight.
Twisting should be safe if you do it smoothly and comfortably. Slow down and shorten fast or forceful twists, and leave out the added weight.
In a small 1984 study that wasn't randomised, 89% of women with spinal osteoporosis given forward-bending exercises had new spinal fractures, against 16% given back-extension exercises. Case series describe spinal fractures after yoga poses that fold the spine forward (3 people, then 9), and 13 of 89 people treated for yoga injuries at one spine clinic had compression fractures. These can't say how often it happens, but they're why deep folds are swapped.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society suggests advice before you start if you:
Our yoga for osteoporosis guide covers the poses to change, the fracture reports and what they can't show, and a class with the swaps built in.
Deep forward folds: fold from the hips with a long back instead (the hip hinge fold, 5 slow folds with 3 breaths at the bottom, the move's page). Leave out plough, shoulder stand and headstand, which load a rounded neck and upper back, and deep backbends such as camel and wheel, which weren't part of the yoga trial and carry neck and low back cautions. Keep twists smooth, and keep the knees bent in boat pose.
3D demoSeated forward fold (Paschimottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHead-to-knee pose (Janu Sirsasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWide-legged standing forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoHip hinge foldBeginner · No equipment
3D demoPlow pose (Halasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoSupported shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoSupported headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)Expert · A wall
3D demoCamel pose (Ustrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoHalf lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoBoat pose (Navasana)Intermediate · No equipmentA teenage slouch is usually postural kyphosis, which straightens when they stand tall. Scheuermann's is a stiff curve from wedge-shaped bones. The NHS says a specialist may suggest a brace for a child with mild to moderate Scheuermann's.
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In one trial in 50 adolescents with Scheuermann's, daily Schroth exercises for a year reduced the curve a little more than general exercise, in a small study whose groups differed at the start. A 2025 review of 9 trials found exercise improved the curve in teenagers and young adults. No trial has tested yoga.
Follow the specialist's plan; yoga can be general strength and movement alongside it. Our Pilates for teenagers and Scheuermann's disease guides have more.
Start with our 25-minute yoga for posture class 2 or 3 times a week: it's built from the same blocks as the trial's classes, with the UK consensus dose for back lifts. With osteoporosis, use our yoga for osteoporosis class; if getting down to the floor is hard, use chair yoga.
Twenty-five minutes of back-strengthening yoga for posture: arm and leg reaches, face-down back lifts and standing poses with the arms raised.
25 minBeginner15 movesNo equipmentA 30-minute routine for a rounded upper back in later life, built from the SHEAF trial: floor back-strengthening, posture practice and gentle mobility.
30 minBeginner13 movesA bench or box, A wallA 30-minute yoga class for osteoporosis: standing strength, balance at a wall, back-strengthening holds and hip hinges in place of deep forward folds.
30 minBeginner19 movesA bench or box, A wallA free 20-minute chair yoga class for older adults: slow breathing, gentle seated stretches and twists, standing poses holding the chair, and a calm finish.
20 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 15-minute chair yoga routine done entirely sitting: slow breathing, neck, shoulder and wrist stretches, seated twists and side bends, and a calm finish.
15 minBeginner16 movesA bench or boxA 20-minute Pilates routine for posture: breathing, head and shoulder-blade control, back strength and upper-back mobility, with no loaded rounding.
20 minBeginner13 movesA wall, A bandA 12-minute routine for a stiff upper back and rounded shoulders: chin tucks, wall angels, Y-T-W raises and open books.
12 minBeginner8 movesA foam roller, A wallFor people without recent spinal fractures who are steady on their feet.
A weekly plan for women over 50: strength, bone-loading and balance on 3 days plus walking, built on UK osteoporosis consensus advice.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week workout plan for men over 50: three strength days with power and balance work, cardio and recovery, at the gym or at home, with a 4-day option.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginnerThese lines are from our glaucoma and high blood pressure guides, word for word.
Downward dog raised eye pressure by about three-quarters and a standing forward bend by about half, and it fell back within 2 minutes of sitting up; a headstand doubled it. Skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep other head-down poses brief or use a supported version.
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Skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds while your blood pressure is uncontrolled; the moves' own pages already say so. This is a precaution, not a trial finding.
Keep to slow, easy breathing: fast, forceful breathing and breath holds raised blood pressure during the practice in a small study.
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These are the warning signs from our kyphosis, Pilates for kyphosis, osteoporosis and back pain guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Get emergency help for back pain with any of these:
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Call 999 or go to A&E: new problems walking, loss of bladder or bowel control, or a sudden loss of coordination, such as difficulty doing up buttons. These can be signs of pressure on the spinal cord.
Get advice soon (in the US, your doctor or urgent care) for back pain with any of these:
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Book a GP appointment for any of these:
See your doctor about unexplained back pain, especially in the upper back, or a change in body shape such as losing height or a more curved back. These can be signs of a spinal fracture, though not all spinal fractures hurt.
Unexplained back pain with muscle spasms, loss of height, or a curved spine or change in posture: a possible osteoporotic spinal fracture, more likely with older age or long-term steroid tablets.
Nerve problems with a spinal fracture need urgent specialist care.
Sudden mid or lower back pain after a minor fall, lift, cough or sneeze, especially from 50 or with long-term steroid tablets.
Often worse moving or changing position and eased by lying down. It can be an osteoporotic spinal fracture, so see a GP; height loss or a new curve in the upper back are other signs.
See a GP if you think your child might have kyphosis. A curve can get worse until growth stops, and a stiff, sharp or painful curve that doesn't straighten when standing tall isn't a simple slouch. Rarely, a curve that keeps growing causes weakness, numbness or tingling in the legs, bladder or bowel changes, or difficulty breathing.
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See a GP if you think you or your child might have kyphosis. A severe curve can cause very bad back pain and difficulty breathing.
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Stop, and call 111, or 999 in an emergency, if you feel:
Stop any pose that brings on sudden back or rib pain, and don't push through pain in a fold, twist or backbend. Sudden new back pain after a bend, lift, cough or minor fall needs a GP (our suggestions).
Call 999 if:
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
The one yoga trial improved two secondary measures but not its main one, and the yoga group's curve lessened by under a degree. The best exercise trial found 3 degrees, fractured bones heal in their compressed shape, and the NHS says exercises won't improve the curve.
Stretching on its own doesn't change posture. The yoga trial used gentle face-down back lifts and arm raises, not camel or wheel, and strengthening is what moved the curve.
Only about 40% of the most curved backs have spinal fractures, but a new hunch or height loss still needs checking.
The UK consensus says yoga "should be considered" even after a spinal fracture, with the deep rounding swapped out.
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Adults aged 60 to 88 reduced the curve by 3 degrees in 6 months, and 24 studies agree on a small effect.
That comparison set practitioners aged 18 to 68 against students aged 18 to 30. It can't show that yoga caused the difference.
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A little, mainly through poses that strengthen your back. In the one yoga trial, 6 months of classes improved two secondary measures of the curve by about 4% to 5% in adults over 60, with the yoga group's own curve lessening by under a degree, but not the main measure. Expect gains in strength, comfort and posture awareness more than a straighter back.
Not fully. A slouch can straighten when you stand tall, but a curve from wedge-shaped or fractured bones doesn't reshape, and the NHS says exercises won't improve a curve or stop it getting worse. Back-strengthening exercise reduced an age-related curve by about 3 degrees in the best trial.
Poses that strengthen the back, such as locust, low cobra, sphinx and bird dog, held 3 to 5 seconds and repeated 3 to 5 times. Add standing poses with your arms raised, gentle upper-back rotation and slow breathing. These match the yoga trial's class and the UK osteoporosis consensus.
Deep or held forward folds, plough, shoulder stand and headstand, and deep backbends such as camel and wheel, especially if you have osteoporosis. Fold from the hips with a long back instead, and keep twists smooth and comfortable.
The trials that found a change ran classes 3 times a week for 6 months, and some of the change faded when classes stopped. You may feel stronger and more comfortable within weeks, but don't expect a visible change in shape quickly.
Two or three times a week. The UK osteoporosis consensus suggests back-strengthening at least twice a week, and the trials used 3 classes a week. Practise standing and sitting tall for a few moments through the day too.
Yes, with changes. The UK consensus says yoga should be considered even after a spinal fracture, but advises modifying sustained, repeated or deep forward bending. Choose a teacher trained to work with older people or osteoporosis.
Sometimes. Only about 40% of people with the most curved backs have spinal fractures, but a new or growing hunch, height loss, or sudden back pain after a minor fall or lift needs a GP. Spinal fractures from osteoporosis don't cause paralysis.
No trial has tested yoga in Scheuermann's. A specialist may suggest a brace for a growing teenager, and in one trial specific exercises reduced the curve a little more than general exercise. Yoga can be general strength and movement alongside the specialist's plan.
No trial has compared them. What matters in either is back-strengthening: that is what reduced the curve in the best exercise trial, and the yoga trial's change was small. Our Pilates for kyphosis guide covers the Pilates version.
A rounded upper back with osteoporosis is kyphosis, and this guide applies. A soft hump at the base of the neck is a different thing; our neck hump guide explains both.
Not if you have osteoporosis or spinal fractures: our foam roller move says to get it cleared first if you have osteoporosis. Without osteoporosis, short gentle holds are fine for comfort, but strengthening, not stretching, is what changes posture.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
