§ 01
Posture Assessment
Clinical fitness assessment

Static Posture Assessment

Identify postural deviations that may contribute to pain, injury risk, or movement dysfunction.

Equipment

No special equipment. A plumb line or grid is helpful but not required.

The protocol
  1. 01Ask the client to stand naturally in their normal posture — do not cue them to "stand up straight".
  2. 02Observe from the LATERAL view (side): Check for forward head position, rounded shoulders, thoracic kyphosis, anterior pelvic tilt.
  3. 03Observe from the ANTERIOR view (front): Check for knee valgus, foot position, shoulder height symmetry.
  4. 04Observe from the POSTERIOR view (back): Check for shoulder asymmetry, hip asymmetry, spinal alignment, calf symmetry.
  5. 05For each checkpoint, note whether the deviation is present.
  6. 06Calculate posture score: 8 minus the number of deviations found.
What to watch for
  • Client self-correcting when they know they are being observed — tell them you are checking their "normal standing position".
  • Clothing hiding key landmarks — shorts and a fitted top work best.
  • Confusing normal anatomical variation with dysfunction.
  • Not checking all three views (anterior, lateral, posterior).
Normative scoring

Score 8/8: Perfect alignment. 6-7: Good, minor deviations. 4-5: Fair, consider corrective exercises. 0-3: Needs attention, multiple deviations present.

Run it with GainPT

Run this test with branded client reports.

GainPT scores Static Posture Assessment against published normative data and turns it into a clean, GainPT-branded PDF your client keeps. All 47 clinical tests, unlimited retests — free to start, no card required.