Postural Assessment

What is a postural assessment?

Posture is the position in which someone holds their body when standing, sitting or lying down. Postural assessments look at your static posture to see if there are any imbalances that could cause or are causing pain and discomfort.
biosports postural assessments also include physical tests that check how well your muscles and joints are working together and if there are any imbalances to be corrected.

The body functions at its best when it is in correct posture. When the body is in correct postural alignment, it moves and distributes weight evenly and appropriately allowing the muscles, joints and spine to work together to help us move more effortlessly. If something is out of alignment, then injury and pain can occur.  

We investigate how your body is moving and functioning. We look for abnormalities and compensations that may have occurred, and we aim to discover and treat the underlying causes.

How it works

During your assessment your therapist will look at the overall alignment of the body both statically and dynamically. They will test ranges of movement and will carry out further tests to identify any areas of weakness and stiffness.

By assessing movement and posture we can evaluate and address the corrections needed through simple lifestyle changes, stretching and strengthening exercises. Treatment plans are bespoke and will vary depending on the results of the assessment. Your therapist will suggest treatments and/or exercises for you based on the findings during the session. These will be discussed thoroughly with you.

Benefits of postural and biomechanical assessments

Benefits of postural and biomechanical assessments may include:

1. muscle lengthening and increased flexibility
2. keeping bones and joints in the correct postural alignment (to support the muscles)
3. a decrease the amount of infrequent wearing of joint surfaces (too much of this could result in arthritis) 
4. preventing the spine from becoming locked into an irregular position 
5. preventing strain and overuse of muscles  
6. preventing backache and other muscular pain
7. improving proprioception/balance and weight transference
8. improving core stability and muscle balance around the pelvis

Assessment may also help make appropriate footwear choices (for example, running shoes).

Who will benefit from a postural assessment?

Anyone can benefit from a postural assessment by learning how your body has adapted to life. We all build bad habits over time - even if we try not to. For example, through sitting at a desk all day, holding babies on your hip or not stretching before and after exercise, we all build weakness and alternations in our movements. An assessment will show these and give you an awareness of how to change them.  

Those who have recurring pain or are under-performing will particularly benefit from having a postural assessment. Awareness is the first step to understanding and correcting any underlying issues. 
Contact us today to find out more about postural assessments.

Contact us today if you have any questions.