So, I’ve decided to write a quick explanation of postural problems, Just to give a basic overview of how the bones and muscles work together and how things can go awry. I am of course, no a physical therapist and not any sort of professional, just someone who is very self interested in the topic and trying to synthesize what I’ve learned for other people out there.
To understand the body, there are a few things you’ll need to understand. In general, to be correct generally is highly dependent on several layers of Symmetry. This means, you want one side of your body to be the same as the other. So, if you had one leg or arm much bigger than the other, this would seem very strange; it is the same concept with many other of your muscles. Most of them work in connection with another muscle or group of muscles, so if you work one muscle really hard, the other becomes lax and inactive and lets the stronger muscle do everything, making it even stronger. This becomes a vicious cycle which leads to what I call muscular imbalance, and can come to effect your bones and your posture, particularly your spine since it is so flexible.
This asymmetry happens across a plane typically, and there are 3 body planes that are generally described in general posture stuff. These are the Sagittal plane, Frontal Plane, and Transverse plane.
The Sagittal plane concerns muscular imbalances that happen on the sides of your body (the one arm much larger than the other would fit this category). This is the case with Scoliosis, where the spine makes a side to side “S” shape. If you have Scoliosis, I suggest you seek professional help.
The Transverse plane concerns the top and bottom halves of your bodies. I think most of the problems here are rotational, that is, if your pelvis is rotated, or if your femur bones are rotated, etc. I’m not quite sure on this one yet (I feel like I’m taking an anatomy class), but I am trying to learn because many of these problems seem to be side effects of kyphosis.
The Frontal plane is the one that concerns us the most, it is any imbalance or irregularity that occurs between the front and back of the body; excessive kyphosis, lordosis, and pelvic tilt all fall under it.
Further, the terms that they use for muscular imbalance are Flexion and Extension. Flexion means a muscle is over worked, making it constantly tense, and pulling the rest of the body with it as it tightens up. Extension is the opposite, when a muscle is relaxed, and starts to extend and loosen up from lack of use, letting the body pull away from it.
Kyphosis is the backward bend in the back, generally the upper/thoracic/shoulder portion, with the curve pointing out of you back. It is normal to have a slight curve, but in our cases its generally excessive, pushing the arms and neck forward and giving the hunchback look. There are several causes, but in the postural case, it is usually due to Flexion of the chest and Extension of the upper back. That is to say, very strong chest muscles and weak back muscles. This could be from unbalanced exercise habits, or more likely from muscle creep after years of bad sitting, standing, and sleeping posture.
Lordosis is the forward bend in the back, generally in the lower/lumbar/belly portion, with the curve pointing out of the front. Again, it is normal to have a slight curve here, but in many cases it is also excessive, meaning the belly sticks out to give the appearance of a “beer-belly” and can be a huge source of several serious problems. Usually this means that there is Flexion of the lower back and Extension of the rectus abdominus (abs).
Pelvic Tilt is the way that your pelvis tilts. It should be generally neutral, meaning perpendicular to the ground, or very slightly forward. However, this the tilt can either be Anterior, meaning it points forward, or Posterior where it points back. I would say that its probably more often Anterior, which in some people leads to “swayback” or what I heard called “Donald Duck” posture, with your butt sticking out and your chest sticking out. But, with an excessive Kyphotic curve, it is also possible to have Posterior tilt, which leads to “flat back”, or not having any curvature in your lower spine, and that is also a problem.
Deciding which causes which, its kind of a chicken and egg situation, any of the above can cause any of the others, along with more problems. In the Lordotic-Kyphotic case, one influences the other as the body is trying to maintain its symmetry on the frontal plain.
Since I have a “Lordotic-Kyphotic” posture and an Anterior pelvic tilt, the majority of my advice will concern the muscles and exercises that are involved I will be generally be discussing those problems, but I will try to cover Posterior tilt as well, which is more or less just interchanging the muscles you stretch and exercise.
So, Lordotic-Kyphotic posture, like mine, usually means that the chest is strong while the shoulders/upper back muscles are weak and inactive. Since the chest is very tight, it pulls the back forward and works overtime, allowing the shoulders and back to relax and become inactive. This cycle continues until the curve is very large and the neck is pushed forward, and it will eventually probably lead to serious back problems if not corrected. Thus, the general idea is going to be to stretch the chest muscles while working the shoulder and back muscles.
In addition you see the opposite case with the lower back. The abs are often weak, while the back muscles are super strong and constantly tensed. One common cause of this, especially if you think your abs are strong, is that the hip-flexors often take over exercises designed for the abs. I used to do tons of sit-ups on my PT tests in the Army, I always maxed out my score. But it turns out I just have super strong hip-flexors that were taking over and letting my abs rest. This is why I no longer do crunches, instead I focus on exercises that isolate the abs and try to stretch my hip-flexors such as frog crunches and ab-vacuums.
For the Anterior pelvic tilt, you generally have a Flexion of the Hip-flexors and a Extension of the Gluteals. This means you tend to have really strong quads and hip-flexors (front legs and muscles that connect the legs tot to the upper body), while the glutes (butt and back leg muscles) are left to be inactive and stretched. So you wanna avoid doing exercises that are gonna reinforce this imbalance, instead doing stretches that are gonna release those muscles, and start building up the abdominal wall. One often neglected exercise that can provide additional help is Kegels.
So, the main point in all this is to try and understand and apply this knowledge in terms of your specific case. Do you have excessive Lordosis of the Lumbar spine, or is it more a case of Flat Back? Do you have an Anterior or Posterior Pelvic tilt? Which muscles are over worked and which are under worked? Start by trying to find the answers to these questions so you can figure out what you need to exercise and what you need to stretch.
Hope it helps.
Alex
Beat Kyphosis 