What is posture?

Posture is a “position or attitude of the body a relative

arrangement of body part for a specific activity or a
characteristic manner of bearing the body” POSTURE acronym
for easy reference:
 P:-Pelvis in neutral, with weight distributed
 O:-on the whole foot.
 S:-Stable joints;
 T:-Tight abdominals
 U:-upright ribs;
 R:-retracted shoulders
 E:-ear over shoulder.
Types of Postures
There are two types of postures:
Inactive Posture : Attitude adopted for resting or sleeping.All
essential muscular activity reduces to minimum.
Active Postures : Integrated activity or action of many muscles
is required to maintain active posture. It may be either Static or
Dynamic.

STATIC POSTURE DYNAMIC POSTURE

The body and its segments are
aligned and maintained in
certain positions. Examples
include standing, sitting, lying,
and kneeling
The body or its segments are
moving—walking, running,
jumping, throwing, and lifting.
GOOD POSTURE FOR STANDING
GOOD POSTURE FOR SITTING

ASSESSMENT OF POSTURE
The assessment of posture is in standing position. The whole
posture is asessed from head to toes in different views,
(a) Lateral views
(b) Posterior views
(c) Anterior views

ANTERIOR VIEW
Head and Neck: Plumb Line: The line bisects the head at the
midline into equal halves.
Shoulders: Plumb Line: A vertical line bisects the sternum and
xiphoid process.Dropped or elevated shoulder. Clavicle and joint
asymmetry.
Hip : Common faults include: Lateral rotation Medial rotation
Knee: The legs are equidistant from a vertical line through the
body.Ankle and Foot: Common Faults include: • Hallux valgus:
Hammer toes
LATERAL VIEW
Head and neck: The line falls through the ear lobe to the
acromion process.
Shoulder :It falls through the acromion process. • Common
faults include: • Forward shoulders • Lumbar Lordosis
Pelvis and hip:The line falls slightly anterior to the sacroiliac
joint and posterior to the hip joint, through the greater
trochanter, creating an extension moment.
Knee: The line passes slightly anterior to the midline of the
knee, creating an extension moment.
Ankle:The line lies slightly anterior to the lateral malleolus,
aligned with tuberosity of 5th metatarsal
POSTERIOR VIEW