MODULE 4

• IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT POSTURE

• COMMON POSTURAL DEFORMITIES, CAUSES AND THEIR
REMEDIAL MEASURES.
•KYPHOSIS, LORDOSIS, SCOLIOSIS, KNOCK-KNEE, BOW
LEGS AND FLATFOOT.

Dr.K. JAYAKUMAR
Associate Professor
Dept. of PHYSICAL EDUCATION
N.S.S. COLLEGE, PANDALAM
Imagine the tyres of your car being out of alignment, they will start to wear
unevenly, the car will begin to handle poorly. The wear could cause a blow
out or a wreck and so we keep our tyres aligned.
Your body is your vehicle and it’s alignment is very important.
 Posture is defined as

“Position of body or the relative arrangement

of the parts of the body”.

The “good posture” is the posture in which the

body segments are balanced in the position of
least strain and maximum support.
 Definition of Poor posture

Poor posture is a faulty relationship of the various parts of the body

which produce increased strain on the supporting structures and in
which there is less efficient balance of the body over its base of
support
Your posture is important
because
1) it directly affects your health and fitness

2) it sends a message about how you feel about

yourself

3) good posture can make you appear taller,

thinner and more at ease.
 Benefits of Good Posture
1. Protect Your Joints
2. Breathe Better
3. Avoid health complications
4. Reduces body fatigue.
5. Beneficial to the brain
6. Enhances confidence.
7. Improves appearance.
Poor body mechanics may cause

 Serious injury to back/neck

 Postural deviations
 Chronic neck/low back pain
 Increased wear on joint tissues
Factors Influencing Posture
•Neurologic issues
•Muscle weakness
•Hypermobilejoints
•Hypomobilejoints
•Bony abnormalities
•Leg length
•Spinal column
 Poor Posture
Poor posture may result in:
 Headaches
 Neck/back pain
 Forward head
 Sunken chest
 Protruding abdomen
 Strain on muscles in the neck, back, abdomen,
and legs
 SPINE
 The spine, or backbone, is made up
of small bones (vertebrae) stacked
-- along with discs -- one on top of
another.

 A healthy spine when viewed from

the side has gentle curves to it.

 The curves help the spine absorb

stress from body movement and
gravity.
 What is postural deviation?
 It means you are not using proper body mechanics. it means that your posture is
poor.
 Can happen with either an increase or decrease of the normal body curves, leading
to:
 1.Uneven pressure within joint surface
 2.Ligament strain
 3.Increase muscle work
 4.May cause pain
Types of spine curvature disorders
 Kyphosis
 Kyphosisis usually
associated with an
increase curve of the
thoracic spine. Along with
this, a slightly posterior
pelvic tilt is seen along
with a reduced lumber
curve and a forward head
position. The client will
show a hunched over
posture with a depressed
chest.
Causes of kyphosis
 Malnutrition, illness, deficiency of pure air, insufficient exercises,
rickets, carrying heavy loads on shoulders, unsuitable furniture,
weak muscles and habit of doing work by leaning forward etc.
Remedies
 Sit in a chair, your buttocks should touch the
back of chair. By looking upward, hold your
hands each other behind the back in such a way
that your shoulders may remain in stretch
backwards. Remain in this position for some
time:
 Always keep a pillow under your back while
sleeping.
 Bend your head backward in standing position.
Remedies
 Perform the dhanurasana, the yogic asana
regularly.
 Lie down in front lying position . keep your
hands near the shoulders. Now straighten up
your arms slowly, raise the chest. Head should
be backwards. Maintain this position for some
time
 Hold your arms out at shoulder level and bend
elbows. Snap elbows back return to starting
position. Repeat this exercise at least 8 times for
the best results.
 Lordosis
 Lordosis happens when
there is an increased
curve in the lumbar
spine of lower back.
Often there is also an
increased pelvic tilt. The
client will show a
posture in which the
stomach and head are
pushed forward.
Causes of lordosis
 Imbalanced diet, improper environment
improper development of muscles, obesity and
diseases affecting vertebrae and spinal muscles
are such causes which result in lordosis.
 In addition to these causes, not performing
exercises and taking excessive food are also
major causes of lordosis.
Remedies
 From standing position bend forward from hip
level. Repeat this exercise ten times.

 Liedown your back, raise your head and legs

simultaneously for 10 times.

 Perform sit-ups regularly

 Halasana should be performed regularly

Remedies
 You should lie down in supine position, i.e., on your
back, then should raise your legs at 45 degree angle.
Remain in this position for some time.

 Toe touching should be performed for at least 10

times.

 Sit down and extend your legs forward. Try to touch

your forehead to your knees. Repeat this exercise 10
times.
 Scoliosis
 Scoliosis a condition in which the spine
is curved from side to side.
 The spine curves away from the middle or
sideways.
 Scoliotic curve may be found in ‘C’ &‘S'
shapes.
 Causes of scoliosis
 Disease in the joints of bones, underdeveloped legs,
infantile paralysis, rickets etc.
 It may also be due to carrying heavy weights on one
shoulder , unhealthy conditions, like inadequate lightning
arrangement, unsuitable desks , partial deafness and
wrong standing posture.
 It may be caused by congenital or acquired abnormalities
of vertebrae, muscles or nerves.
 Remedies

 Bending exercise should be performed in opposite

side of ‘c’ shaped curve.

 Holdthe horizontal bar with your hands and swing

your body to the left and right side.

 To swim by using breast stroke technique.

 Foot Deviations

 Flat foot causes increased

abduction of the forefoot
Causes of flat foot

 The main causes of flat foot is weak muscles. Weak muscles

of the foot cannot bear the body weight. Hence, feet become
flat or without arches. Along with this rapid increase in
body weight, improper shoes, carrying heavy weight for a
longer period are also the cause of flat foot.
Remedies
 Walking on heels.  Jumping on toes for sometime .

 Walking on inner and outer side of  To skip on rope.

feet.

 To perform up and down the heels

 Waling on toes.
Hammer toe

A hammer toeis a
deformity of the
proximal
interphalangealjoint of
the second, third, or
fourth toecausing it to
be permanently bent,
resembling a hammer.
 Knock-knee
 Genuvalgum,
commonly called
"knock-knees", is a
condition where the
knees angle in and
touch one another
when the legs are
straightened.
Causes

 Generally, the lack of balanced diet especially vitamin ’D’,

calcium and phosphorus is the main cause of knock knees. It
may also be due to rickets. Chronic illness, obesity, flat foot
and carrying heavy weight in early age may be other
possible causes of knock knees.
Remedies

 Horse-riding is the best exercise for remedification of this

deformity.
 Perform padmasana and gomukasana regularly for some
time.
 Cod liver may be beneficial in reducing this deformity up to
some extent.
Remedies

 Keep a pillow between the knees and stand erect for some
time.
 Use of walking callipers may also be beneficial.
 In severe cases, consult the doctor
 Bow leg
 Genuvarum (also called bow-
leggedness or bandiness), is a
deformity marked by medial
angulation of the leg in relation
to the thigh, an outward bowing
of the legs, giving the
appearance of a bow.
Causes

 main cause of bow legs is the deficiency of

calcium and phosphorus in bones. Long
bones of legs become soft, hence they are
bent outwards. The chances of bow legs
also increase when the children become
overweight. This deformity may be because
of the deficiency of vitamin ‘D’. Improper
way of walking and forcing the babies to
walk at very early age may also lead to bow
legs.
Remedies

 Vitamin ‘D ’ should be taken in required amount .

 Balanced diet should be taken.
 Bow legs can be corrected by walking on the inner edge of
the feet.
 Walking by bending the toes in ward.
ROUND SHOULDER

 The shoulder become round and sometimes they seem to be

in bent forwards
Causes

 Round shoulders may be due to heredity.

 Sitting, Standing and walking in bent position
may also result in round shoulders.
 By wearing very tight clothes.
 Sitting on improper furniture.
 Lack of proper exercise especially of shoulders
may lead to round shoulders.
 To become habitual to press the chest.
Remedies

 Keep your tips of fingers on your shoulder

and encircle your elbows in clockwise and
anticlockwise direction

 Hold the horizontal bar for some time.

 Perform chakrasana and dhanurasana

regularly.
The Role of Physical Therapy

 Early detection of postural errors.

 Education of good posture and bad posture.
 Reduce of abnormal tension and pain
 Increase strength and mobility
 Enhance of neuromuscular control
 Increase self motivation and confidence.
 Reduce fatigue.
In Conclusion

The Doctor says….

“One’s” posture clearly conveys in “body language” the state
of one’s mind, one’s general health and fitness and one’s
spinal health.