Posture Types
Lordotic
The lordotic posture is the type you see in young gymnasts. It is also a posture seen in pregnant women and men with a beer belly due to the extra weight being carried in front. If you look at the picture below, notice that the abdominals are lengthened and the lower back is tight, which places excessive stress on the lumbar discs, causing the muscles to be overactive.
We often wrongly recruit the lumbar muscles when carrying or lifting heavy objects, placing more stress than is already present. For example, when carrying heavy shopping we should be recruiting the shoulder and core stabilizers rather then relying on the lumbar extensors to support the spine. This is a common trait in those who are lordotic, creating unnecessary tension in the lower back which causes stiffness and immobility in that area. This can prove difficult to correct initially. The excessive curve which is present in a lordotic posture is there because the pelvis is being held in an anterior tilt where the hip bones are forwards of the pubic bone. This position of the pelvis also causes the hip flexors to shorten and the hamstrings to be lengthened. Mobility exercises will help considerably in helping to correct these problems but care needs to be taken in executing movement in the lower back due to the probable stiffness. The spine needs to be encouraged to move slowly and gently to avoid any forced error of movement. Less is more.
Problems
Weak gluteals (buttocks)
Overactive hamstrings
Short hip flexors
Weak abdominals
Solutions
Strengthen abdominals and gluteals (buttocks)
Increase segmental control of the spine to reduce lordosis and increase mobility
Lengthen hip flexors
Stretch back extensors
KYPHOTIC
Kyphosis is the posture that has the round-shouldered appearance. It is seen mainly in those who have sedentary jobs, such as office workers and those who sit all day at a computer or drive for a living. Sitting causes major postural imbalances in the spine and affects the length, strength, and stamina in certain muscles.For example, when your body is sitting in a chair all day the muscles that should be supporting you are actually inhibited. The buttocks, our biggest muscle in the body, can very often be our weakest. The leg muscles are also inhibited when sitting as they too are being supported but they are also being kept in a bent position for long periods which can cause the hamstrings in the back of the legs to shorten and the quads at the front of the legs to lengthen. All are inactive while sitting so have a tendency to be weak. We then have to accept that the muscles in the ankles and feet are not taking any weight all day so they too become weaker. Lastly the position of the head is never at its optimal position when sitting especially at a computer when you're constantly looking down at the keyboard then up at the screen, the neck muscles work extremely hard to support the head which tends to poke forwards shortening the neck extensors at the back of the neck and lengthening the neck flexors which are at the front. Slumping is common when sitting and this is contributory to many digestive problems as well as muscular imbalances. When we slump the lumbar spine is forced out causing us to lose our natural lordosis. The result is a double imbalance of kyphosis and flatback. Kyphosis and flatback don't always come together. A person can suffer with kyphosis but not sit all day, a nurse for example who is bending over regularly but also moving around could be subject to kyphosis from the bending but the other activities could cause a counter position in the spine causing lordosis. All these imbalances place excessive strain on the joints.
Problems
Short/tight pecs (chest muscle)
Lengthened trapezius muscle in the upper and middle fibres (causing round shoulders)
Weak abdominals
Weakgluteals (buttocks)
Tension in neck and shoulders Solution
Solution
Stretch chest muscle
Strengthen postural fibres in middle and lower trapezius
Strengthen abdominals and gluteals (buttocks)
Lengthen neck extensors, strengthen neck flexors
SWAY BACK
The sway back posture is often known as the lazy posture. It is commonly adopted by teenagers and those who stoop because they are conscious of their height. It is also the posture that most catwalk models adopt which becomes an occupational posture.The noticeable features of a sway back are sitting into the hip and favouring one leg when standing,allowing the abdominals to relax and lengthen. The head is usually held to one side rather than being central and the arms hang forwards.It gets the name lazy because those who have this posture can sometimes very easily correct it by standing tall and distributing their weight evenly through the legs. If the posture is long standing then there are considerable differences in the strength on one side of the body to the other. By favouring one leg, the muscles on one side will be shortening while on the other side they will be lengthening. The abdominal tone in sway backs is lax so all of the abdominal family will need conditioning to help correct this posture. It is the only posture where the hip flexors are likely to be lengthened and in need of strengthening, whereas in all the other postures the hip flexors need to be lengthened in order to release tension at the top of the legs.
Problems
Favours one leg when standing
Lengthened hip flexors
Tight hamstrings
Lengthened abs/obliques
Head slant
Solutions
Strengthen all the abdominal group
Strengthen the hip flexors
Stretch the hamstrings
Re-align neck position
FLAT BACK
The flat back posture is just as it suggests—the back is fiat, having lost the lordotic curve. It is seen in those who sit for prolonged periods especially if sitting in a slumped position, such as the coach potato or one who slumps in the office chair while making a telephone call. The muscles in the lumbar spine can become fixed quite quickly resulting in an inability to bend forwards or backwards freely. Due to this stiffness, mobility exercises need to be taken slowly and gently to encourage the spine to move and to regain its natural curve. When aflat back posture is identified, the pelvis is in a posterior tilt where the hip bones sit behind the level of the pubic bone causing the lumbar spine to lengthen. Those with flat back problems will complain that they cannot get up and move well after sitting or sleeping but are ok once they have been up for a while. The flat back posture very often accompanies the kyphotic posture, so you may have identified your own posture falling into these two groups.
Problems
Spine is fixed
Lack of mobility, especially in extension
Gluteal inhibition (weak buttocks)
Solutions
Strengthen gluteals and abdominals
Increase mobility and range of movement in area that is fixed
Increase lordosis