Posture types
There are many different types of postures. All different types will affect your body in different ways.
Below is the list of 4 most common postures.
- Forward Head Posture
- Sway Back
- Flat Back
- Scoliosis
But what is good posture then?
Optimal posture is when the weight distributions is even across the different parts of the body and no structure is subjected to more load than any other. It has a good balance between the skeleton, joints and muscles that protect the body’s structures against injury or tension.
Posture is a window to your spinal health. So as mentioned above if there are imbalances to the body and uneven loading of weight on different body parts it can lead to aches and pain. If it has been there for a number of years it can cause not only the spinal joints to wear and tear(degenerate) faster but also other weight bearing joints such as the hips, knees and ankles.
Forward Head Posture
As the name suggest this means the head has gone past the center of gravity of the body resulting in making the head feel heavier than normal which will put lots of strain on the neck spinal joints and muscles. This causes lots of aches/pains and stiffness, other symptoms could include headaches and migraines. This position will cause lots of changes structurally as well. The muscles in the lower part of the neck end up in a stretched position while the muscles in the upper part of the neck become short and tensed.
Sway Back
This is when your pelvis has tilted more backwards (posterior pelvic tilt), thereby creates a flattening of lumbar spine which means a decrease curve in the low back. Therefore, the spinal joints and the intervertebral disc will have increase stress that can cause pain. The cause of this posture type is when an increased limb happens by muscles imbalances on the front of the thighs and the hip. They are in a compensated state due to the lack of stability of the postural muscles of the hip/pelvis/lumbar spine.
Flat Back
Flat back posture is when the mid back of your spine (thoracic area) has flattened. This is due to the weak postural musculature of the hip/pelvis/lower back. The weakness causes the pelvis to tilt backwards and therefore creates the flat mid back. This posture type can cause fatigue and pain.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine; it occurs most often during the growth spurt just before puberty. There are many types of scoliosis. The two most common types of scoliosis is when the pelvis is being rotated which causes a rotated spine. The rotation of the pelvis often depends on uneven muscle strength between the right and the left sides of the hip, pelvis and lower back. The second type comes from the fact that the spine has grown into a rotated position which results in a rotated pelvis. In both cases the mobility of the spine is limited to the side, in rotation and to the front/ back.
I hope this article has enlightened you all different posture types and how it can affect not only your spine but your whole body. Any posture types you want to know more about? Or are experiencing these issues please come in for a checkup at Physiomed, all of our Chiropractors are able to diagnose and treat any posture type. We look forward to assist you in your quest for health.
In Health,
Dr Nathan
