Having good posture usually predetermines that you will be free from chronic musculoskeletal pain, whereas poor posture is a warning sign of aches and pains to come. If you suffer with chronic muscle and joint pain, most likely you have poor posture.


Not sure how to tell if you have good posture or poor posture?  Take the Posture Self Analysis below.


Posture Self Analysis


First set up a full body length mirror.  


Facing sideways to the mirror:

1.    Look to see how your ear, center of your shoulder, hip, knee and ankle line up. 


  • If you have good posture, they will be one above the other in a straight alignment. The opening of your ear auricle) should be directly over your outer ankle bone. 
  • If you have poor posture, the auricle will be either behind, or in front of, your outer ankle bone.


2.    Observe your shoulders while your arms are by your side.


  • If you have good posture, your shoulders will be back and your thumbs will be pointing straight forward. The middle of your shoulder will be in alignment with your ankle and ear. 
  • If you have poor posture, your shoulders will appear rounded or hinged forward. Your thumbs will be pointing inward/towards each other.  


3.    Check the curvature of your spine.


  • If you have good posture, your spine will have a slight S-curve, but will not be too rounded forward.
  • If you have poor posture, the curve in your low back will be very pronounced, which makes your buttocks protrude posteriorly.


4.    Look at your waistline (belt line).


  • If you have good posture, your beltline will be level.
  • If you have poor posture, your beltline will be lower on one side.  


Facing front towards the mirror:

5.    Look at your shoulders.  


  • If you have good posture, your shoulders will be level.
  • If you have poor posture, one shoulder will be lower than the other.

 
6.    Look at your hips.


  • If you have good posture, your hips (waist line/belt) will be level (parallel to the floor).
  • If you have poor posture, your waist line/belt will be tilted – one side lower than the other.



7.    Look at your knee caps.


  • If you have good posture, both your knee caps should point straight ahead and be level to one another.  The knees should have about 4-5 inches of space between them. The knees should be slightly bent.
  • If you have poor posture, your knee caps will be rotated either outward or inward.  Your knees may not be level to one another. The inside of your knees may be nearly touching. Your knees may be locked (hyperextended).


8.    Look at your feet.

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  • If you have good posture, your feet will point straight ahead. You will feel your weight distributed equally over your heel, inner and outer ball of your foot.
  • If you have poor posture, your feet will be turned either outward or inward.  You will feel your weight predominately distributed along the outside or inside of your foot.


Note - The ‘poor posture’ indicators above are common indicators of poor posture, but there are an infinite number of possible ‘poor posture’ permutations.


Poor Posture Is Often The Result Of Having An Abnormal Foot Structure


If you find your posture deviates from the above eight indicators, your posture is less than optimal. Poor posture is a sign that you may have an abnormal foot structure – either the Rothbarts Foot or PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity. It is this abnormal foot structure that may be causing your chronic muscle and joint pain.


Following is the sequence of events that occurs in your body: 


All feet send signals to the brain (cerebellum) and the cerebellum automatically adjusts the body’s posture according to the signals it receives. If you have a normal foot structure, correct signals are sent to your brain, which then adjusts your posture to an optimal position. If you have an abnormal foot structure, your feet send distorted signals to your brain and your brain automatically distorts your posture. And it is this chronic poor posture that, over time, inflames your joints and muscles, creating chronic pain. 


To find more information on whether you may have an abnormal foot structure causing your chronic pain, take the Rothbarts Foot Questionnaire. 


If you are ready to take the next step towards freedom from chronic pain, go to the Schedule an Initial Phone Consultation page. 

Do You Have Poor Posture?  Take this Posture Self Analysis