Trunk Shift (Lateral List)

Also known as: lateral shift, trunk list.

What it is

A trunk shift is a sideways translation of the ribcage/shoulders off the pelvis, so the body’s midline zig-zags rather than stacking vertically. It often co-occurs with uneven hips and lateral core imbalance.

How to spot it

From front/back the mid-shoulder point sits to one side of the mid-hip point. The scan measures the offset between the shoulder-midline and hip-midline.

Muscles involved

Muscles involved in Trunk Shift (Lateral List), front view — typically tight muscles in coral, typically weak in teal — Front (anterior) view

Muscles involved in Trunk Shift (Lateral List), back view — typically tight muscles in coral, typically weak in teal — Back (posterior) view

Coral = typically tight, teal = typically weak. Anatomical illustration from Z-Anatomy (derived from BodyParts3D), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Typically tight: quadratus lumborum, lateral obliques

Typically weak: contralateral lateral trunk stabilizers, gluteus medius

How to correct it

Lateral core balancing (side planks both sides).
Address uneven hips driving the shift.
Cue a centered, stacked standing position.

Recommended exercises

Hip Drop & Quadratus Lumborum Stretchstretch · pelvis McGill Modified Curl-Upactivate · core McGill Side Plankactivate · core Bird Dogactivate · core

quadratus lumborum lateral obliques contralateral lateral trunk stabilizers gluteus medius

Educational wellness content — not a diagnosis. See a clinician for pain or concerns. Run a posture scan to check your own alignment.