Correlation between depression and posture (A systematic review)

The relationship between posture and psyche has not been sufficiently studied and paid attention to, despite its importance and significant impact on life. The aims of present study are to systematically review the scientific framework of research on the relationship between depression and posture and conduct a comprehensive summary of previous analyses. The entered keywords were Depression, Posture, Alignment, gait and Spine deformities. A time filter was applied from 2000 to 2022. Studies that were conducted on people with special physical condition and diseases were excluded from the present research. The quality of the studies included in the current research was evaluated through the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Also, the current research was based on the principles of PRISMA. In the initial search, 3075 articles were entered. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and after reviewing the abstracts and full texts, 23 articles were selected for final evaluation in the present study. 23 studies include ten case-control, nine cross-sectional, one pilot study, two Cohort and one periodic with overall High -medium quality. Various tools were used to evaluate posture and gait (such as cameras & Motion analysis system). In general, the findings of the studies show that people with depression have a more slumped posture. These people usually suffer from deformities such as kyphosis, forward head and forward shoulder. By reviewing the studies, we found a significant correlation between depression and spine abnormalities. It seems that this relationship is more evident in Girls than boys and happens more in high school ages.