What posture is, and why looking is not enough
Posture is the position your body settles into when standing at rest. It is the net result of muscle length, tissue stiffness, bone shape and the way your nervous system organises all of it. The problem with assessing it by eye is that the human eye misses small differences and exaggerates large ones. Two assessors describe the same person differently — and, more importantly, when you want to know three months later whether the exercise programme did anything, you have no baseline number to compare against.
The fix is to turn observation into measurement. Once your forward head angle has a number today, that same number can be taken again in three months and compared. The value of posture analysis is that it repeats, not that it puts a label on you.
What gets measured
The assessment runs on three standard views, and each view carries its own set of measures. The table below lists the main ones alongside their commonly cited reference ranges. Those ranges are where interpretation starts, not where it ends: a value outside the range is not a disease, and a value inside it does not rule out pain.
| Measure | View | Common reference range | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craniovertebral angle (CVA) | Lateral | > 50° | Forward head posture |
| Thoracic kyphosis | Lateral | 20–45° | Rounded upper back |
| Lumbar lordosis | Lateral | 30–50° | Depth of the lower back curve |
| Cobb angle | Posterior | < 10° | Lateral spinal deviation |
| Shoulder height difference | Anterior / posterior | < 1 cm | Shoulder girdle asymmetry |
| Pelvic landmark height difference | Posterior | < 1 cm | Pelvic drop or rotation |
| Q angle | Anterior | 13° men · 18° women | Knee alignment, valgus |
| Rearfoot pronation angle | Posterior | < 6° | Inward roll of the ankle |
More than thirty measures are computed in total; the table shows the ones that most often decide what a report says.
The three views
Anterior — from the front
Horizontal alignment of shoulders, pelvis and knees, internal or external rotation of the legs, and the Q angle come from this view. Knock knees (valgus) and bow legs (varus) are seen here.
Lateral — from the side
The most informative view for the spine. A plumb line is drawn from the ear to the lateral malleolus and the deviation of head, shoulder, pelvis and knee from that line is measured. Kyphosis, lordosis, forward head and rounded shoulders all come from here.
Posterior — from behind
Symmetry between the two halves of the body: lateral spinal deviation, scapular height difference, pelvic rotation and rearfoot position.
How the assessment runs
- Standardised photographsThree views, with fixed camera distance and height, suitable clothing and a plain background. The shooting conditions are explained on the page — ignoring them invalidates the measurement.
- Landmark detectionA computer-vision model locates the anatomical reference points on the image. All of this processing happens inside your own browser; the photographs are never sent to a server.
- Angles and distancesEach measure is computed by its own standard method: Cobb angles for curvature, goniometry for joints, perpendicular distance from the plumb line for deviations.
- Clinical reviewA number on its own is not a diagnosis. The findings are read in person alongside examination, pain history and functional testing.
- Corrective exercise programmeExercises are chosen from the measures that fell outside their reference range, with a set interval before the next measurement.
What the report contains
- The three view photographs with landmarks and measurement lines drawn on them
- A numeric table of every measure beside its reference range
- The findings that fell outside range, ordered by importance
- An exercise programme matched to those findings
- The assessment date, so the next measurement is comparable
The report is printable and you can take it to your own physician or physiotherapist.
Who benefits from this
- People who sit at a desk for hours and have neck, shoulder or back pain.
- Adolescents whose parents suspect a spinal curve or uneven shoulders — an initial screen, before deciding about radiography.
- Athletes who keep injuring the same side and want to know whether a structural asymmetry is involved.
- Anyone already following an exercise programme who wants to know whether anything has actually changed after a few months.
There is no single "correct" posture
The common assumption is that one ideal posture exists and every deviation from it is a problem. The evidence does not support that: normal variation between people is wide, and many people whose posture sits far from average have no pain at all. The relationship between posture and pain is not simple or one-to-one.
So why measure? For three reasons. First, to have a baseline to measure change against. Second, to find asymmetries — which matter more than deviation from average, because a body is usually symmetrical with itself. Third, to see whether the mechanical finding lines up with the complaint; when the painful site and the measured finding agree, the exercise programme has a clear target.
For that reason, no single number in the report is called "bad" on its own. Numbers are read next to your complaint.
Where this assessment stops
Posture analysis is a screening and measurement tool, not a substitute for medical diagnosis. Measuring from a photograph captures surface alignment and does not replace radiography, MRI or a physician's examination. A Cobb angle computed from a photograph is not the same as a radiographic Cobb angle and must not be used in its place.
If you have night pain, numbness, muscle weakness or a sudden change in posture, a physician should examine you before any exercise programme begins.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to come in person for posture analysis?
You can run the initial assessment yourself with three photographs and receive a numeric report remotely. Clinical interpretation, examination and a personalised exercise programme require an in-person session at the clinic in Quchan.
Are my photographs stored or uploaded anywhere?
No. Image processing runs entirely inside your own browser and the photographs are never sent to any server. The only thing you might send is the final report, and only if you choose to.
Does this replace an X-ray?
No. Measuring from a photograph captures surface alignment. Measuring spinal curvature precisely, or assessing bone structure, requires radiography, and that is a physician's call.
How often should I repeat the assessment?
To judge the effect of a corrective exercise programme, eight to twelve weeks is the usual interval. Earlier than that, angles rarely show a meaningful change.
Can adolescents be assessed?
Yes, and screening spinal symmetry matters more during growth years. But if a significant deviation is found, the next step is a physician, not starting exercises on your own.