Running & Gait Physio Springfield

This isn’t “shoulders back”. It’s where the ribs and pelvis park — and what every joint does after that.

Posture here means the default stack: skull, ribcage, pelvis, feet. When that stack is off, the neck, jaw, back, hips and knees all work from a bad start position. Gait then repeats it thousands of times a day.

Two patterns we see constantly:

Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) — the pelvis tips forward, belt buckle down. The low back arches, hip flexors feel short, glutes don’t get a clean job.

Swayback — the hips drift in front of the ankles, the ribcage tips back, the upper back rounds. You look “relaxed standing”. The hip front pinches, the hamstrings lock, the neck pokes forward to keep the eyes level.

They get mixed up. They need different work. Both link to the rest of the site: breathing, hip pain, back pain, TMJ, running.

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Who this is for

Standing that looks fine in a photo and feels wrecked by 3pm
Belt line that tips, bum that sticks, or hips that sit out in front
Desk neck, tight hip flexors that stretch never fixes, or a back that “hangs” on the joints
Already been told “your posture is bad” with no plan past a wall angel
Pain that moves around — neck one week, hip the next — same stack underneath
Springfield Central, Springfield Lakes, Augustine Heights, Brookwater, Ripley, Ipswich corridor — clinic or mobile

How posture links to everything else

Breathing and ribcage

If the ribs are flared or dumped, the pelvis chases them. You can’t hold a pelvic position if the thorax won’t sit on it.

Hip and pelvic pain

APT parks the hip in a pinch. Swayback parks it in hang. Same joint, different reason it hurts.

Chronic back pain

The lumbar spine is either stuck in arch (APT) or hanging off the ligaments (swayback). Core work on top of that stack fails.

TMJ / jaw

Head-forward is usually the neck trying to balance a thorax that’s already behind or up. The jaw clenches to finish the job.

Gait

Whatever you stand in, you walk in. Mid-stance either collapses or never loads. That’s why gait is the base of treatment here — posture that only works on a plinth is theatre.

Fix the stack, and the other pages get easier. Ignore the stack, and you stretch the same hip flexor for a year.

What we assess

Where the pelvis sits relative to the feet (tipped vs swayed through)
Where the ribcage sits relative to the pelvis (flared, dumped, twisted)
Head position as a result, not the main project
Can you change it for three breaths, then what happens when you walk
Which pattern is actually yours — APT, swayback, or a mix

You get the name of your pattern in one sentence. Then drills that change it standing and walking, not only lying down.

Our approach

Position you can keep. Then load it so it sticks.

Not a posture lecture. Not “imagine a string out the top of your head” for eight hours.

We use the same tools as the rest of the clinic: ribcage and breathing, pelvic control, gait. Hands-on if it changes how you stand after you get up.

The win is you notice when you sway or tip — and you know the two things that stack you back without thinking about it all day.

What to expect

Initial session

Stand, sit, walk. Name the pattern. Show you the difference between APT and swayback on you. Link it to the pain you booked for.

Plan

A short stack reset (ribs + pelvis) plus the strength that’s missing so it doesn’t slide back at the desk or on a walk. Homework you can do in a kitchen.

Progress

How long you can stand without hanging on the hips, neck tension by afternoon, hip pinch, back fatigue, whether the walk still dumps into the old shape.

Clinic: TotalFusion Lions Springfield, 16 Eden Station Drive, Springfield Central.

Mobile if travel is the problem.

Initial $200. 45-min follow-up $155. 30-min $105. WorkCover / DVA / CTP / NDIS no gap where eligible.

Common questions

Can I just sit up straighter?

You can for about forty seconds. Then the old stack wins. We change the bits that make the old stack the easy option.

Are APT and swayback the same?

No. Tipping the pelvis forward is not the same as sliding the hips forward. Mixing them up is why a lot of “posture programs” fail.

Will this make me stiff and military?

No. Good stack is quiet. You should look normal and feel less braced.

Is this only for people who care how they look?

No. It’s for people whose pain keeps coming back in different postcodes of the same body.

How does this sit with the gait page?

Posture is the start position. Gait is that position on repeat. We use both.

Ready to find out if you’re tipped, swayed, or both — then change it?

Book a posture assessment at TotalFusion Lions Springfield or request mobile.

Book Your Physiotherapy Appointment in Springfield

Sebastian, Physiotherapist of Total Fusion Lions Club and Drop-In Physio

As a physiotherapist, I provide personalised treatment for pain, injury, and post-surgery recovery, offering both clinic and mobile services to help you move better, feel stronger, and return to the activities you love.

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