H. IMPORTANCE OF POSTURAL SCREENING

Prior to initiating an exercise prescription a great deal of importance must be placed on an appropriate initial screening and assessment (36, 38). Over recent years, a larger degree of emphasis has been placed on this where ‘screening’ systems are now becoming a recognised part of the exercise prescription process for particularly athletic and also other populations (17, 18, 26, 30, 38, 58). An approach adopted by numerous authors demonstrates the use of initial postural screening, and subsequent movement screening to identify potential compensatory patterns an individual may use to complete a movement skill (29, 31). These compensatory patterns are then considered with the exercise prescription and rate of progression of individual prescription.

Postural analysis has been noted as an important factor to consider as an initial step to identifying potential movement asymmetry and discrepancy (36, 38). Kendall et al. (36) noted that in the standard posture the body is in the “ideal alignment for weight bearing”, where the body is in position that favors optimal function. Kritz (38) noted that a definition of optimal static standing posture is “when the least amount of physical activity is required to maintain body position in space and that which minimises gravity stresses on body tissues”. A postural screening identifies the degree of effort or most appropriate position the body uses to maintain a static standing (or seated) position. If an athlete has faulty static posture, this will relate to additional energy being required prior to producing a movement to get into the initial most appropriate position (38). Kritz (38) states that anticipatory strategies that contribute to faulty movement patterns are less efficient, causing the athlete to expend additional energy to perform a proficient movement, where anticipatory strategies have been seen to negatively influence power production. Kritz (38) noted that a range of authors stated that postural assessment indicates the presence of muscle impairments, which are also indirectly associated with movement impairments. Cook (17) when discussing posture noted that the way the body is held has a lot to do with the way that it moves, where the starting position influences the movement that is to follow. When the body begins in a sub-optimal position, receptor influence attempts to make up for the problem by unnecessarily altering the biomechanics in an attempt to catch up or correct the movement.

The observer must identify differences compared to the norm where variations in body type, shape, size, and proportion must also be considered for each individual. An example of optimal posture is demonstrated below, with an explanation of ideal position for larger joints of the body.

Table 3. Adaptation of Ideal Postural Criteria in a Lateral Position. Kritz (38)

Diagram 7. Ideal Posture in Lateral Position. Kendall et al. (36)