Postural Assessment

Though postural assessment is a skill required by most therapists and useful for many health and fitness professionals, few resources offer a complete discussion of the topic to support practitioners in the task. Written for students and practitioners of massage therapy, physical therapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, sports medicine, athletic training, and fitness instruction, Postural Assessment is a guide to determining muscular or fascial imbalance and whether that imbalance contributes to a patient’s or client’s pain or dysfunction.

Jane Johnson, a practicing physiotherapist and sport massage therapist and instructor, breaks down the complex and holistic process of assessing posture into easy-to-assimilate sections. Johnson begins with a discussion of ideal posture and the factors affecting posture as well as how to provide the correct environment for postural assessment, necessary equipment, and the importance of documenting assessment findings. Then she details procedures for executing postural assessments from standing posterior, lateral, and anterior views as well as with the patient or client in a seated position.

The text features tips for improving assessment technique, and What Your Findings Mean sections provide readers—students in particular—with guidance for systematic analysis. Each chapter ends with five Quick Questions, with answers, to assist in gauging understanding of the topics covered.

Information in the text is enhanced with detailed illustrations that offer visual cues to learning postural assessment and identifying anatomical relationships. Line drawings illustrate bony landmarks used in the assessments, and numerous photos show both obvious and subtle postural variations. Reproducible illustrated postural assessment charts in the appendix provide space for recording observations during each step of the assessment.

Postural Assessment can assist practitioners in learning what posture reveals about the relationships among various body parts and in determining whether such relationships cause or contribute to pain or discomfort. As a resource for novices, Postural Assessment offers guidance in observing and identifying common postural forms and interpreting those observations.

Postural Assessment is part of the Hands-On Guides for Therapists series, which features specific tools for assessment and treatment that fall well within the realm of massage therapists but may be useful for other body workers, such as osteopaths and fitness instructors. The guides include full-color instructional photographs, Tips sections that aid in adjusting massage techniques, Client Talk boxes that present ideas for creatively applying techniques for various types of clients, and questions for testing knowledge and skill.

Jane Johnson, MSc, PhD, is a chartered physiotherapist and sport massage therapist specializing in occupational health and massage. In this role she spends much time assessing the posture of clients and examining whether work, sport, or recreational postures may be contributing to their symptoms. She devises postural correction plans that include both hands-on and hands-off techniques. 

Johnson has taught continuing professional development (CPD) workshops for many organizations both in the UK and abroad. This experience has brought her into contact with thousands of therapists of all disciplines and informed her own practice. Johnson has a passion for inspiring and supporting students and newly qualified therapists to gain confidence in the use of assessment and treatment techniques.

Johnson is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and is registered with the Health Professions Council. A member of the Medico Legal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists, she provides expert witness reports on cases involving soft tissue therapies. Johnson is the author of six titles in the Hands-On Guides for Therapists series. These are, Postural Assessment, Postural Correction, Therapeutic Stretching, Soft Tissue Release, Deep Tissue Massage and Soft Tissue and Trigger Point Release. Postural Assessment has sold over 10,000 copies. She is also the author of The Big Back Book: Tips & Tricks for Therapists. 

Jane regularly delivers webinars on popular musculoskeletal topics, as well as on life working as a therapist. In her Facebook group (Jane Johnson The Friendly Physio), she shares tips and tricks in her usual, friendly manner.

Johnson lives in the north of England in an unmodernized house where she creates books and webinars, makes art and rehomes big rescue dogs.