What is Sway back posture?

The sway back posture is where the pelvis is pushed in front of the centre of gravity. This causes a chain reaction in the posture as the body attempts to compensate for the shift in alignment.

What are the causes of Sway back posture?

1. Over-active/tight hamstrings
2. Ligament laxity
3. Incorrect strategy for good posture
4. Bad habits going on the stomach
5. Poor sitting posture

What happens with your muscles in sway back posture?
Overactive/tight hamstring drives the hips forward causing:

• elongated and weak hip flexors
• end of range hip extension in standing
• weak gluteal muscles
• anterior translation of femoral head
• elongated/weak external oblique
• short internal oblique –> pulls lower ribs forward
• over-active muscles in thethoraco-lumbar junction
• upper cross syndrome

The best exercises to fix your Sway back posture

• Straight leg raising(SLR)
• Strengthen hip flexors
• Strengthen gluteal group
• Strengthen external obliques/decrease rectus abdominis dominance
• Address upper cross syndrome (compensatory postural changes)
• Re-train proper posture in functional positions (Neuro-muscular control)