Page 56 - Welcome to Posture Pro

THE MOST UP TO DATE POSTURE RESEARCH

It’s been a while since I have done a review of research relevant to good and bad
posture. And in that time some things have changed – the most noticeable is that if
you look closely in the following papers you should notice that digital photography
and the objective measurements possible as a result are a key feature. Now I don’t
hate to tell you that “I told you so” – but I have been pushing the use of digital
postural analysis since about 1996!

The other clear point from the following abbreviated abstracts is just how powerful
postural analysis is as an outcome tool, and a predictor of morbidity. If you are not
incorporating objective postural analysis and including corrective strategies that
work in your practice – then WHY NOT?

1) Sensitivity of clinical assessments of sagittal head posture.

J Eval Clin Pract. 2010 Feb;16(1):141-4. Gadotti IC, Biasotto-Gonzalez DA.

Historically, clinicians visually evaluate posture using anatomical landmarks. Advances in
technology made digital photographs now feasible to use in clinical practice. Photogrammetry
may increase the reliability of the assessment of postural changes. However, differences
between visually estimated and photogrammetric recorded changes in posture need to be
tested. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of visual assessments of
changes in head posture in the sagittal plane in relation to photogrammetric recorded data…
Visual assessments of sagittal head posture were sensitive to detect differences between no
FHP and FHP groups, but were not sensitive to detect differences between no FHP and slight
FHP groups. Head posture photogrammetry is recommended to quantitatively detect less
evident differences in head posture.

2) Differences in Standing and Sitting Postures of Youth with Idiopathic Scoliosis from
Quantitative Analysis of Digital Photographs.

Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2013 Jan 8. Fortin C, Ehrmann Feldman D, Cheriet F, Labelle H.

The objective of this study was to explore whether differences in standing and sitting postures
of youth with idiopathic scoliosis could be detected from quantitative analysis of digital
photographs. Standing and sitting postures of 50 participants aged 10-20-years-old with
idiopathic scoliosis (Cobb angle: 15° to 60°) were assessed from digital photographs using a
posture evaluation software program… Significant differences between standing and sitting
positions (p < 0.05) were found for head protraction, shoulder elevation, scapula asymmetry,
trunk list, scoliosis angle, waist angles, and frontal and sagittal plane pelvic tilt. Quantitative
analysis of digital photographs is a clinically feasible method to measure standing and sitting
postures among youth with scoliosis and to assist in decisions on therapeutic interventions.