Biomechanology of Type 1 Diabetes

Postural Profile of People with Type 1 Diabetes

First published in 2008 - Last edited in May 2022 by Luka Tunjic. © All rights reserved.

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In 2004, I noticed that people with Type 1 diabetes share specific postural and musculoskeletal characteristics. I realized that the postural profiles of people with Type 1 diabetes differ from those of people without Type 1 diabetes. The postural profile determines the musculoskeletal shape.

The pictures below are examples of the swayback posture of people with Type 1 diabetes.

Click on the link or on the picture to go to the original source of the picture – (the link opens in a new window).

https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/1%20-%20T1D%20-%201.jpg?attredirects=0
https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/1%20-%20T1D%20-%202.jpg?attredirects=0
https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/1%20-%20T1D%20-%203.jpg?attredirects=0

Suppose you look at people with Type 1 diabetes and people without Type 1 diabetes. It isn't easy to notice any differences in the shape of the musculoskeletal system from the rest of the population. Still, if you know what you are looking for, it is easy to notice significant differences.

Upon a closer look, it can be noticed that people with type 1 diabetes share specific postural and musculoskeletal characteristics.

One type of posture prevalent among people with Type 1 diabetes is the particular type of swayback posture.

Two main types of swayback postures appear similar, but there are significant differences.

One type of swayback posture is when the lumbar spine is excessively curved inward (swayback-lordosis-posture). This type of posture is not prevalent among people with Type 1 diabetes.

The type of swayback posture where the lumbar spine maintains a natural inward curvature or is slightly flattened is prevalent among people with Type 1 diabetes..

1. A swayback posture is very common among people with type 1 diabetes.

2. A swayback posture is relatively rare among people without Type 1 diabetes.

3. A faulty lordotic posture, which is by many mistaken to be a swayback posture, is relatively common among people without type 1 diabetes.

The seeming swayback posture prevalent among people with type 1 diabetes, in reality, is the lower chest forward posture. It looks similar to average swayback posture in people without T1D, but it is pretty different by close look.

The pictures below are examples of the lower chest forward posture of people with Type 1 diabetes.

https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/1%20-%20T1D%20-%204.jpg?attredirects=0
https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/1%20-%20T1D%20-%205.jpg?attredirects=0
https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/1%20-%20T1D.-%206.jpg?attredirects=0

Click on the link or on the picture to go to the original source of the picture – (the link opens in a new window).

Side note! The problem is explaining the lower chest forward posture. After all, it is a new term that I have to introduce because none have mentioned it before.

By taking a closer look at people with Type 1 diabetes, it is visible that their posture is similar to an average upright posture, but only their ribcage sways backwards. The top of their rib cage is excessively tilted backwards, causing the bottom of the rib cage to thrust forward.

By looking at the body profile of people with Type 1 diabetes, the lower chest is forward thrust. This type of posture can be called the upper trunk swayback or the lower chest forward posture.

The picture below (Group of Children with Type 1 Diabetes) clearly shows that all children have either a swayback posture or a lower chest forward posture.

Click on the link or on the picture to go to the original source of the picture – (the link opens in a new window).

https://sites.google.com/site/modernscienceofbiomechanics/type1diabetes/page3/3%20-%20T1D%20-%207.jpg?attredirects=0

The lower chest forward posture is prevalent only among people with Type 1 Diabetes.


The picture of children with Type 1 diabetes is further convincing about the prevalence of the lower chest forward posture in people with Type 1 diabetes.

The first initial observation tells us that people with Type 1 Diabetes have a swayback posture. Still, upon more extended observation, it is noticeable that swayback posture in people with Type 1 diabetes is different from the swayback posture in people without type 1 diabetes.

A closer observation shows that people with Type 1 diabetes sometimes have a swayback posture and sometimes a lower-chest-forward posture. Sometimes they have a relatively upright posture, making it even harder to see differences between them and people without Type 1 diabetes.

The first step in understanding the cause of type 1 diabetes is to notice that people with Type 1 Diabetes have a habit of a specific swayback posture and a habit of lower chest forward posture. When the cause of type 1 diabetes is understood, the cure and prevention of type 1 diabetes will appear.

Swayback posture is prevalent among people with and people without Type 1 Diabetes. Still, the swayback posture in people with Type 1 diabetes is different from the swayback posture in people without Type 1 diabetes.


Warning! Any possible attempt to induce postural changes in order to treat and cure Type 1 diabetes without understanding the role of biomechanics in Type 1 diabetes may cause serious or fatal consequences.

Here are just a few reasons for that;

1. In some cases, exercise, particularly strenuous, may cause high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia), and in some other cases, it may cause (hypoglycaemia) abnormally low levels of sugar in the blood.

2. The real danger of Death while sleeping. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3045678/

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