Postural and Biomechanical

Postural and Biomechanical Analysis

Having good posture and the ability to move in a co-ordinated way is something most of us take for granted and give little thought to. In reality it has taken all of us years to perfect this control over our bodies as we grow from babies, through childhood, to adults. We become adept at assessing our environment, using proprioception to adjust our posture and limbs without looking and co-ordinate complex movements using dozens of muscles and bones simultaneously. In fact, the body becomes so good at adapting to changes that when you develop minor injuries, or consistently adopt poor posture, your body tries to compensate. These minor changes to your posture or the way you move can put extra stress on the supporting structures, causing tightness or pain. Often people are unaware of minor changes until they become uncomfortable or impede normal activity and movement. For example, a minor injury in the ligaments of the foot could change the way you put weight through it, altering the balance of pressure experienced at the knee, leading to uneven wearing of the joint. The original minor injury may not prompt you to seek help but ultimately leads to dysfunction in another area, causing pain and increased risk of injury.

Postural and biomechanical analysis involves examining the alignment and movement of the body. Our therapists are specially trained to complete this assessment through observation and may use detailed video or motion capture analysis to confirm their findings. Through Biomechanical analysis the therapist can then provide treatment to address any dysfunction observed. Treatments could include;

• Advice on postural, gait or biomechanical re-education.
• Use to taping to raise proprioceptive awareness of joints and their alignment.
• Advice on use of insoles to correct foot position and related knee and hip alignment.
• Mobilisations and stretches to regain full movement from tightened ligament, tendon or muscle tissue.
• Progressive strengthening exercises to correct any muscle strength imbalance.
• Massage to increase soft tissue extensibility are release muscle contractures.
• Balance exercises to improve joint proprioception and stability.
• Home exercise plan, if appropriate, to speed recovery and promote self-management and correction.

Everybody moves slightly differently based on the height, age, fitness level and numerous other small factors. Correspondingly, our therapists will develop a personalised treatment plan based on their observations of your posture and movement. It will target any perceived abnormalities in either movement or posture to relieve painful symptoms and reduce the risks of injury. Weather you suffer from pain due to postural imbalance or biomechanical abnormalities, or you participate in sports and wish to improve your technique, consulting a therapist about biomechanical analysis could be beneficial. The earlier someone seeks intervention from a therapist the easier it is to correct any dysfunction.

If you would like more information on how osteopathy or physiotherapy can help treat you, or want to book an appointment, please email nick@nickcastle.co.uk. or phone us on 0207 386 9777.