Spinal curvatures of yoga practitioners compared to control participants—a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose The angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis determine the spinal alignment in the sagittal plane. The aim of this study was to compare the thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis of male and female yoga practitioners with non-practicing participants and to determine the possible dependencies between sagittal spinal curvatures and somatic parameters, time spent on yoga exercise, and undertaking other physical activities in yoga practitioners. Methods The study involved 576 women and 91 men ages 18–68 years (mean = 38.5 ± 9) who were practicing yoga, and 402 women and 176 men ages 18–30 years (mean = 20.2 ± 1.3) as a control group. The angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis were measured using a Plurimeter-V gravity inclinometer. Results The two-way ANOVA demonstrated the influence of group (p < .0001) and sex (p = .03) on the angle of thoracic kyphosis, as well as the influence of group (p < .0001) and sex (p < .0001) on the angle of lumbar lordosis. It was noted that yoga practitioners had less pronounced thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis and were more often characterized by normal or smaller thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis than students from the control group. In yoga practitioners, the angle of thoracic kyphosis was positively correlated with age, body mass, BMI, and undertaking other forms of physical activity. The angle of lumbar lordosis was negatively correlated with body height and body mass. Conclusions The results suggest that yoga exercises can affect the shape of the anterior-posterior curves of the spine and may be an efficient training method for shaping proper posture in adults.

Sagittal spinal curvatures of young adults in the context of their self-reported physical activity and somatic parameters

“…Thoracic kyphosis angle (ThKA) and lumbar lordosis angle (LLA) were assessed using a Plurimeter-V gravity inclinometer (Dr. Rippstein, Zurich, Switzerland). The plurimeter is a precision-built, liquid pendulum inclinometer with a dial that can be fully rotated 360 degrees 5 . Based on Stolinski et al study, this noninvasive technique was indicated as highly reliable and the correlation between sagittal spinal curvatures measured using a Rippstein plurimeter and digital photography was r = 0.949, p < 0.0001 for ThKA and r = 0.951, p < 0.0001 for LLA 31 .…”

“…This is potentially due to the disruption of normal biomechanical forces and alterations in the length-tension relationships of spinal muscles. Hyperkyphosis can be associated with the poor flexibility of chest muscles and hamstrings, low abdominal and paravertebral strength, and even the impairment of respiratory function, cervical pain, or subacromial pain syndrome 5 , 10 – 12 . These associations may be due to the altered spinal alignment causing compensatory changes in muscle length and tension, leading to muscle weakness and reduced flexibility.…”

“…This could be due to the increased anterior pelvic tilt associated with hyperlordosis leading to adaptive shortening of hip flexor muscles such as the psoas iliac and rectus femoris. Hyperlordosis also may be linked to the high incidence of osteoarthritis in the hip and knee joints 5 , 10 , 13 .…”

“…This effect can vary depending on the sport and training intensity and can be more or less beneficial to posture. Other specific forms of PA or exercises programs such as physical yoga, Nordic walking, Pilates, and dancing can also influence posture 5 , 18 – 20 . These activities often focus on improving core strength and flexibility, both of which are crucial for maintaining proper spinal alignment.…”

“…Somatic parameters, referring to various physical characteristic of the human body, may be associated with the shape of sagittal spinal curvatures. Previous studies have shown that body weight, body mass, BMI, body adiposity index (BAI), waist circumference, total and central adiposity, or fat mass may affect thoracic kyphosis or/and lumbar lordosis angles 4 , 5 , 21 – 27 . However, these associations can be not very consistent and vary depending on the population studied, especially in terms of age and gender.…”