Background: Few studies have demonstrated postural abnormalities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-when compared with healthy individuals. However, none of these studies have compared postural abnormalities in different phenotypes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Objective: To compare the thoracic posture between two phenotypes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) with healthy individuals. Methods: Forty individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (20 with chronic bronchitis, 67 ± 3.5 years, 20 with emphysema, 67.7 ± 4 years) and 20 age-matched healthy individuals (67.3 ± 3.9 years) underwent postural assessment which was performed using photogrammetric measurements of head protraction, shoulder protraction, thoracic kyphosis angle, coronal shoulder angle, and scapular elevation. Results: Significant differences were found amongst the groups in protraction of head (emphysema vs. chronic bronchitis, mean difference = 7.63 • , 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.10, 13.15 • ; emphysema vs. healthy, 7.91 • , 95% CI = 2.38, 13.43 •), protraction of shoulder (emphysema vs. healthy, 13.69 • , 95% CI = 6.96, 20.43 • ; chronic bronchitis vs. healthy, 8.11 • , 95% CI = 1.38, 14.85 •), thoracic kyphosis (emphysema vs. healthy, −11.59 • , 95% CI = −17.26, −5.92 • ; chronic bronchitis vs. healthy, −6.75 • , 95% CI = −12.41, −1.08 •), coronal shoulder angle (emphysema vs. chronic bronchitis, 1.01 • , 95% CI = .22, 1.80 • ; emphysema vs. healthy, 1.59 • , 95% CI = .80, 2.38 •) and scapular elevation (emphysema vs. chronic bronchitis, =.74 cm, 95% CI = .34, 1.15 cm; emphysema vs. healthy, .99 cm, 95% CI = .59, 1.40 cm).