Stop swayback and save your spine

A lot of doctors focus on the health of your organs … and with good reason. But for your ability to live your life the way you want to, your spine is literally and figuratively central to a good quality of life.

Maintaining your natural s-curve is essential to proper muscle balance and range of motion as you age – which means mobility and independence.

When spinal health is compromised by muscle imbalances and postural changes, pain and limited range of motion can keep you from doing what you love.

One common problem that occurs is known as swayback posture. Those who develop swayback often experience muscle tightness, trigger points, tears, inflammation, and limited mobility in the lower back, legs and hips. This can mean a decreased quality of life because of an inability to carry out daily activities or sports and recreation without great effort or discomfort.

Lower body hyperextension

Swayback posture is the result of postural changes in the pelvis and thighs which causes hyperextension of the knees and hips.

Picture someone standing with knees locked back and pelvis protruding forward. This causes a sway in the back and thus alters posture overall, and physical function. Swayback is easy to see in someone’s posture by the way they stand. No matter their weight or fitness level, their belly will protrude forward because of a forward pelvic tilt. And their shoulders will rest backward of the hips and you’ll also see a forward head posture.

It is not uncommon for people to misdiagnose hyperlordosis with swayback. But here is a telltale difference: Lordosis finds the lumbar (lower) spine in a concave position while with swayback the lumbar spine is actually flattened with the concave curvature in the thoracic (mid) spine. Neither diagnosis is good, but differentiation is the key to correcting the swayback posture.

Dangers of swayback

Any kind of postural dysfunction is bad and each has its own way of affecting one’s life. Among the dangers of uncorrected swayback is overuse of the hamstrings (muscle group on back of the thighs) by virtue of firing them to extend the hips rather than the gluteal (butt) muscles. This improper posture is bad for the joints and overtime causes wear-and-tear on the femur (thigh bone) and hip ball-and-socket joints. Aside from muscle spasms, trigger points in the hamstring and tendonitis, this can cause reduction of cartilage and eventually to osteoarthritis.

Functionally speaking, people who maintain this postural dysfunction develop tight hip flexors which can be painful while also reducing range of motion in step, stretch and bend, making it difficult to bend to tie shoes or pick something up off the floor, or walk long distances or up sloped or stairs.

High heels, high risk

Like most postural dysfunctions, and the pain and restrictions associated with them, swayback is preventable and reversible because it is caused by our own postural choices. The problem is that many of us don’t know we are causing it.

To begin, those who walk in high heels are practically forcing the swayback postures on themselves. The heels change the ankle position, move the center of gravity, and cause swayback posture. Yes, this is temporary but those who wear high heels frequently may end up with a muscle memory that creates a chronic sway back posture.

Stomach sleeping is also a cause of sway back because the lower back is not supported during this sleep position. While stomach sleeping, the abdomen sinks into the mattress, which pulls on the lower back, causing the body to hold a swayback posture for the hours on end. Very bad. It is best to sleep on your side or your back if you have this issue.

Correcting swayback posture

While swayback posture can lead to chronic pain, limited range of motion and decreased quality of life, the good news is that it can be reversed and the problems avoided. A few simple exercises done at least once but three times per day is great, will do much to correct the muscle imbalances leading to this postural dysfunction.

1) Stretch & Strengthen the Hip Flexors – The basic method is to both stretch and strengthen the shortened hip flexors. The stretch to get you started is to take a deep and long lunge forward, then lower your back knee toward the floor.

You can strengthen the flexors by doing the “mountain climbing” drill on the floor. From a push up position, you are like running in place.

2) Strengthen the Glutes – Remember, glutes are your butt muscles and these can be strengthened in several ways. First lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on floor and arms at your sides for balance. Now do a bridge movement by slowly raising your hips up off the floor and then slowly lowering them for as many as makes you tired. You should feel the tension and burn in the butt!

Next are clams, which find you on your side, legs bent and parallel to one another. Slowly open and close the top leg until tired and then turn over and repeat on the other leg.

3) Tighten the Abs – Shortening the external obliques or stomach muscles will do much to hold the core in place and prevent swaying.  You want to strengthen in two ways. Windshield wipers are a good place to start. Lie on your back with arms extended out to their respective sides for balance. Raise both legs up straight and rotate them from side to side together, like windshield wipers. Try to do 10 or as many as you can and improve from there.

Next are Side Bends with dumbbells. Stand up straight while holding a hand weight (dumbbell) in one hand; the other hand is placed behind the back of your head. Now bend toward the floor, sideways, in the direction of the hand holding the weight, and the raise back to vertical position. Again, 10 reps should do it, then switch hands and do the other side.

Like so many common wellness issues swayback posture is caused, and can be reversed, by our choices and actions. Knowledge is power, so first knowing there is an issue and how it is caused will give you the information to stop doing the things that create the postural dysfunction. Second, is the knowledge of basic things that you can do to correct the muscle imbalances that create the issue. Now that you know, have fun making positive changes to your body that will positively affect your wellbeing and quality of life overall.