Introduction to Postural Pre-Assessment
More information on Posture is provided under Posture on the main menu however this section covers the assessment process for the postural assessment. The assessment processed is multi-leveled and the Level 1 Postural Assessment covers the foundational assessment of posture where Level 2 provides a more detailed advanced assessment.
The Level 1 Postural Assessment includes pre-screening that can also be used by themselves as part of a customized assessment process with or without the postural assessment itself.
Pre-Screening includes:
1. Vertebral Artery Assessment
2. Dominant Eye Assessment
3. Bodyweight Distribution Assessment
4. Breathing Pattern Assessment
Assessment Reliability
One source of analytical error when performing a postural assessment is that of eye dominance. It is important to realize that the examiner’s peripheral vision is used for judging the body bilaterally. This is true in posture analysis as well as in the physical examination when, for instance, bilateral motion of the rib cage is assessed. If the examiner has a dominant eye, the reclining client should be observed with the dominant eye over the midline of the client’s body.
The examiner should determine their own dominant eye prior to assessing clients but using the same testing procedure that is used for clients to assess dominant eye.