Postural Assessment
Postural assessments are an evaluation of your static posture as well as visual and palpable assessments for anatomical landmarks.
Utilised with Osteopathy, Postural assessment can see if there are any imbalances that could cause or are causing you pain and discomfort.
What is posture?
Posture refers to the alignment and positioning of the body during various activities. Beyond mere aesthetics, maintaining good posture is essential for fostering strength, flexibility, and balance throughout the body. This not only diminishes muscle discomfort but also enhances overall energy levels. Proper posture alleviates strain on muscles and ligaments, thereby lowering the risk of injury. Additionally, it ensures that bones and joints remain properly aligned, facilitating optimal muscle function
Efficient posture is defined as a balanced 3-dimensional alignment that provides optimal functional capacity, shock absorption and wait attenuation. Asymmetry tends to be typical, so a lack of asymmetry does not necessarily indicate in myofascial dysfunction.
In my FREE postural assessment guide I define and break down the common postural problems seen in the image opposite which you can sign up for here.
While having any one of these postural problems doesn’t automatically mean you are going to suffer muscles aches and pain, it does increase the likelihood of certain imbalances causing a break down in proper function. To fully understand the mechanisms behind these postures an understanding of the spinal curves is needed. The spine has 3 main spinal segments. The ‘C-shaped’ curve of the neck (cervical spine) and lower back (lumbar spine) are called lordosis, which means inward curve. The reverse ‘C-shaped’ curve of the chest (thoracic spine) is called a kyphosis and represents an outward curve. In an ideal posture these curves are important for balance and to support the body’s weight and give the spine a slight ‘S-shaped’ curve when viewed from the side. When the spinal curves deviate from this, that is when you can start to see postural problems.
Check out my free postural assessment guide here.