PosturePrint published Again! Chiropractic & Osteopathy

Three dimensional evaluation of posture in standing with the PosturePrint: an intra- and inter-examiner reliability study

Martin C Normand¹ , Martin Descarreaux¹ , Donald D Harrison¹ , Deed E Harrison² , Denise L Perron³ , Joseph R Ferrantelli⁴ and Tadeusz J Janik⁵

¹Département de chiropratique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois Rivieres, Québec, G9A 5H7, Canada
²Private Practice, Elko, Nevada, USA
³Private Practice, Montréal, Québec, Canada
⁴Private Practice, New Port Richey, Florida, USA
⁵Comp Math R/C, 121 Todd Whitt, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA

author email corresponding author email
Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007, 15:15doi:10.1186/1746-1340-15-15

Published:	24 September 2007

Abstract

Background

Few digitizers can measure the complexity of upright human postural displacements in six degrees of freedom of the head, rib cage, and pelvis.

Methods

In a University laboratory, three examiners performed delayed repeated postural measurements on forty subjects over two days. Three digital photographs (left lateral, AP, right lateral) of each of 40 volunteer participants were obtained, twice, by three examiners. Examiners placed 13 markers on the subjects before photography and chose 16 points on the photographic images. Using the PosturePrint^® internet computer system, head, rib cage, and pelvic postures were calculated as rotations (Rx, Ry, Rz) in degrees and translations (Tx, Tz) in millimeters. For reliability, two different types (liberal = ICC_3,1 & conservative = ICC_2,1) of inter- and intra-examiner correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. Standard error of measurements (SEM) and mean absolute differences within and between observers' measurements were also determined.

Results

All of the "liberal" ICCs were in the excellent range (> 0.84). For the more "conservative" type ICCs, four Inter-examiner ICCs were in the interval (0.5–0.6), 10 ICCs were in the interval (0.61–0.74), and the remainder were greater than 0.75. SEMs were 2.7° or less for all rotations and 5.9 mm or less for all translations. Mean absolute differences within examiners and between examiners were 3.5° or less for all rotations and 8.4 mm or less for all translations.

Conclusion

For the PosturePrint^® system, the combined inter-examiner and intra-examiner correlation coefficients were in the good (14/44) and excellent (30/44) ranges. SEMs and mean absolute differences within and between examiners' measurements were small. Thus, this posture digitizer is reliable for clinical use.



Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

Validation of PosturePrint System

Validity of a computer postural analysis to estimate 3-dimensional rotations and translations of the head from three 2-dimensional digital images.

Janik TJ, Harrison DE, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Perron DL.

CompMath R&C, Hunstville, Ala 35806, USA. drjanik@idealspine.com

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate the validity/accuracy of the computerized system PosturePrint for measuring head posture. METHODS: Computer analysis was compared with 125 measured positions of a mannequin head in 5 degrees of freedom. For each mannequin position, 3 digital photographs were obtained (left lateral, anteroposterior, and right lateral) and were processed through the PosturePrint computer system. For the head analysis, a headgear with 3 reflective markers was placed on a subject; and there were additional click-on markers at the ear tragus, upper lip, acromioclavicular joints, and episternal notch. Head postures were calculated as lateral translation (T(x)), lateral flexion (R(z)), axial rotation (R(y)), flexion-extension (R(x)), and anterior-posterior translation (T(z)). For an error analysis, PosturePrint algorithm calculations were compared with the true mannequin head positions. Furthermore, average head posture was determined in student volunteers (n = 40). RESULTS: Mean computational errors were R(x) = 1.3 degrees (SD 0.6 degrees) and T(z) = 1.1 mm (SD 0.5 mm) for sagittal displacements and R(y) = 1.1 degrees (SD 0.7 degrees), R(z) = 0.6 degrees (SD 0.4 degrees), and T(x) = 1.1 mm (SD 0.5 mm) for frontal view displacements. For the normal group, mean head displacements were 1.1 degrees or less for all rotations and 1 mm or less for lateral translations (T(x)); and forward head posture (T(z)) averaged 3 cm. CONCLUSION: From the mannequin positions, small mean errors indicate that the PosturePrint system is accurate. In the future, statistical research determining the correlation between head displacements, neck pain, function, and health status should be performed.

Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

PosturePrint Validated!

Validation of a computer analysis to determine 3-D rotations and translations of the rib cage in upright posture from three 2-D digital images.

Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Perron DL, Ferrantelli JR.

Since thoracic cage posture affects lumbar spine coupling and loads on the spinal tissues and extremities, a scientific analysis of upright posture is needed. Common posture analyzers measure human posture as displacements from a plumb line, while the PosturePrint claims to measure head, rib cage, and pelvic postures as rotations and translations. In this study, it was decided to evaluate the validity of the PosturePrint Internet computer system's analysis of thoracic cage postures. In a university biomechanics laboratory, photographs of a mannequin thoracic cage were obtained in different postures on a stand in front of a digital camera. For each mannequin posture, three photographs were obtained (left lateral, right lateral, and AP). The mannequin thoracic cage was placed in 68 different single and combined postures (requiring 204 photographs) in five degrees of freedom: lateral translation (Tx), lateral flexion (Rz), axial rotation (Ry), flexion-extension (Rx), and anterior-posterior translation (Tz). The PosturePrint system requires 13 reflective markers to be placed on the subject (mannequin) during photography and 16 additional "click-on" markers via computer mouse before a set of three photographs is analyzed by the PosturePrint computer system over the Internet. Errors were the differences between the positioned mannequin and the calculated positions from the computer system. Average absolute value errors were obtained by comparing the exact inputted posture to the PosturePrint computed values. Mean and standard deviation of computational errors for sagittal displacements of the thoracic cage were Rx=0.3+/-0.1 degrees , Tz=1.6+/-0.7 mm, and for frontal view displacements were Ry=1.2+/-1.0 degrees , Rz=0.6+/-0.4 degrees , and Tx=1.5+/-0.6 mm. The PosturePrint system is sufficiently accurate in measuring thoracic cage postures in five degrees of freedom on a mannequin indicating the need for a further study on human subjects.

PMID: 16547756 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE


Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

From Screening to the Value of Proper Posture The Complete Posture Solution™ to Patient Care and Education

by Denise Perron, DC and Joseph Ferrantelli, DC

Dr. Denise Perron has a Bachelors Degree in Biology and received her DC degree from Palmer Chiropractic College in the middle 1980s. She ran a high volume practice in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1986 to 2001. Her interest is in posture digitizers and she has been working in that field since 2001. She is currently a consultant for business organizations and Chiropractors in Canada, USA, and Japan.

Joseph R. Ferrantelli, D.C. graduated with honors from Florida State University in 1995 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree from Life University School of Chiropractic, graduating Magna Cum Laude in March 1999. Dr. Ferrantelli is a distinguished Fellow of Clinical Biomechanics of Posture and a Certified Instructor for CBP® Seminars. Dr. Ferrantelli was named the “CBP® Chiropractic of the Year” by CBP® Seminars in 2002. Additionally, he has co-authored manuscripts published in top journals such as Spine, European Spine Journal, and JMPT. Dr. Ferrantelli is the webmaster for CBP® OnLine, www.idealspine.com and currently is in private practice in New Port Richey, FL.

Posture is easily identified. However, few people are aware of the negative consequences of poor posture on health and well-being. Poor posture is a serious problem that affects a growing portion of the population. A sedentary lifestyle combined with increasing automation helps contribute to the muscle atrophy and, distortions of the skeletal structure. Consequently, poor posture is pandemic in our society.

That being the case, why don’t we see more patients in our offices concerned about their evident poor posture? Is this because we ourselves do not understand the consequences of such problems? Of course not! Is it because we as chiropractors have done a poor job explaining the abnormal consequences of these problems and that the patient can not simply consciously “stand up straight” to correct them? We think so!

The problem is simply, that WE ARE NOT MAKING PATIENTS AWARE of the ill effects of bad posture and we offer no simple solutions for them to aid in their correction.

The time has come to expand our already existing product line to bring to chiropractors The Complete Posture Solution™ for their offices.

In this endeavour, we realized that doctors do need a “screening” tool, in addition to a valid and reliable tool for in-office clinical use, such as PosturePrint®. This new screening tool, known as PostureScreen™, is a stand alone product to be used wherever the doctor wishes to perform a screening.

For example, now you can perform educational screenings in malls, health fairs, etc. Importantly, following workshops, you can provide potential patients with a one page report for them to see a visual image of what they look like, consequently making them realize the urgency of correcting their posture. This helps them understand how posture may be responsible for their existing pains and then the report encourages the patients to get an evaluation at your office with the clinically valid PosturePrint® system. This is important so that when patients arrive in your office for their initial consult, they are now ready for comprehensive testing: chiropractic, orthopaedic, neurological examination, x-rays, and an assessment with PosturePrint®.

By implementing the PosturePrint® system during their examination, when it is time for their report of findings, they now see a much clearer clinical examination evidencing their problems with accurate measurements from normal. This clinical documentation now sets the stage for patients to demand solutions: corrective rehabilitative chiropractic care (such as traction and exercises) for in office and at home. Even more noteworthy, doctors using the PosturePrint® system soon realize that, during their examination of the patient, they too missed some important postural distortions of which the PosturePrint® is much more sensitive at finding.

From a distinctive marketing perspective, each PosturePrint® is unique to that patient, so this encourages friends and family members to compare their Mirror Image® Postural Exercises prescriptions and their severity of abnormal posture, i.e. their Posture Index® scores.

Most patients want to do something about their health and posture, but they simply don’t know where to begin. Now you can offer them personalized exercises for their six largest displacements that aid in supporting their adjustments, their course of care in the acute, corrective, and supportive phases of care. Also they will educate everyone else within their close network of communication that your office is the only place in town to go for these problems.

Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

PosturePrint® Used to Determine Stability of Upright Posture

by Denise L. Perron, BS, DC

Dr. Denise Perron presently is Vice President of healthcare Division at Biotonix , a technology company in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has a Bachelors Degree in Biology and she received her DC degree from Palmer College. Before deciding to help advance Biotonix’s entry into healthcare markets, she had a high volume chiropractic practice in Montreal.

I can’t tell you how excited we are about our new scientific clinical instrument to measure human posture, the PosturePrint®. As I have reported in past issues of this journal, three validity studies (one each on the head, rib cage, & pelvis) were performed on a mannequin at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres in December 2004. These three studies showed that the PosturePrint® had an accuracy of approximately two degrees for all rotations and two millimeters for all translations.

Next (November 2005), we performed a reliability study with 40 student volunteers at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres, in which three examiners evaluated the 40 students twice over a two-day time frame. The statistical results of this study were in the excellent range for reliability and confirmed our confidence in this simple tool (three digital photographs of a standing subject) for evaluating the clinical upright posture of our patients.

Since the PosturePrint® has been shown to be both valid and reliable in the above mentioned four research projects, we used it to perform a fifth study at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres. We asked the 40 students to return after three months to have our Principal Investigator (Martin Normand, PhD, DC, Professor and Director of the Chiropractic program at the University) evaluate them again. This provided a pre-post comparison of 40 subjects with a three-month time period. Preliminary results of this study indicate that human neutral resting standing posture is stable over a three-month time period in university students.

At each stage in this research process, we are amazed at the accuracy of the PosturePrint® computer system. We have collected data on a 6th and 7th study with the PosturePrint® at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres. One is a reliability study on Dr. Deed Harrison’s Posture Index® and the 2nd study concerns sagittal posture data on school children at different ages. Next, as soon as we get our present papers submitted and accepted at Index Medicus journals, we plan to begin our Posture and Health study with the ICA

If you have any questions concerning PosturePrint®, you can contact me, Dr. Denise Perron at perrond@biotonix .com or Susan Bourck at bourcks@ biotonix. com.

Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

European Spine Journal Publishes PosturePrint® Study

By Deed E. Harrison, DC

In January 2006, the Editor of the European Spine Journal notified us that one of our projects on the PosturePrint® was accepted for publication. This manuscript is entitled, “Validation of a Computer Analysis to Determine 3-D Rotations and Translations of the Rib Cage in Upright Posture from Three 2-D Digital Images”, by Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Perron DL, Ferrantelli JR.

This project was completed on a mannequin thoracic cage at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres in December 2004. In the Biomechanics laboratory, the mannequin positions were precisely measured before 3 PhDs took 204 photographs (68 different positions). The photographs were processed through the PosturePrint® computer program and the differences from measured positions of the mannequin to PosturePrint® calculations were reported as measured errors. The results showed that the PosturePrint® computerized postural analysis was extremely accurate for a simple photographic method.

Critics (Triano), at the recent ACC-RAC Conference (March 2006 in Washington, DC), complained that we did not use multiple cameras at orthogonal positions with expensive computer code analysis (such as the $250,000 system at Health South). PosturePrint uses one camera, one wall grid, some cheap anatomical markers, and fits in a DC’s clinic Exam room. We responded with the facts that (1) we obtained very close to similar accuracy to those expensive systems (1.5 degrees for rotation angles and 1.5 mm for translations), (2) our method is very inexpensive (PosturePrint® cost the User $30/use) compared to orthogonal cameras systems used at University laboratories (several hundred thousand dollars = what DC could buy one?), (3) our method showed high reliability even though the subject is moved to new locations during photography (left lateral, AP, right lateral), (4) our method can fit into a Doctor’s exam room and thus is very convenient for clinical use, and (5) our method supplies the Doctor and patient with a very accurate but simple to read/understand Report of Findings.

The accuracy of postural analysis by the PosturePrint® will allow us to perform future clinical studies with this computer analysis. In March 2006, Springer-Verlag informed us that our manuscript would be published online (Epub ahead of print) by April 1, 2006 on the European Spine Journal’s web site, go to http://springerlink.metapress.com/link.asp?ID=1315K32760575754

Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

More Studies to Confirm the Validity and Reliability of PosturePrint™

by Denise L. Perron, BS, DC

Dr. Perron presently is Vice President of Business Development for Biotonix, a technology company in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She received her DC degree from Palmer College in 1985. Before deciding to help advance Biotonix‚s entry into healthcare markets, she had a high volume chiropractic practice for 15 years. For the past 8 years, Dr. Perron has been a member of the Board of Directors of Somiper Inc., which owns assets in the biotechnology, pulp and paper and aviation industries. She has lectured on Postural analysis and protocols of care at many different chiropractic colleges and universities, including Parker, CMCC, UQTR, as well as medical institutions such as Stanford, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Since 2002, Dr Perron has also been involved with lecturing to Chiropractors and healthcare practitioners in Japan.

Establishing for Chiropractors and healthcare practitioners a scientifically sound baseline tool to measure postural deviations, track changes, and prescribe corrective exercises has been major feat. We are pleased today to see Doctors and Patients benefit from the science of CBP® through the PosturePrint™ with their personalized exercise programs, postural monitoring along with continued chiropractic care.

When patients understand what is wrong with them and why they need postural correction, they are more likely to continue chiropractic care. PosturePrint™ has been shown to increase patient retention and increase the efficiency of providing quality personalized care for patients. PosturePrint™ is committed to providing Doctors with the most scientific and easy to use clinical tool to help DCs help their patients.

Most of you know that we have already performed validity studies on mannequins with the PosturePrint™ at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres in late 2004. Once the reliability and validity of the PosturePrint™ was established on mannequins, (the results came out more accurate than we dreamed), we then designed the next step in a reliability study. This research on human subjects is to further substantiate, not only the intra and inter-examiner marker placement reliability, but the reproducibility of the whole process using PosturePrint™.

For our reliability study, in November 2005, Dr. Don Harrison (Wyoming), Dr. Joe Ferrantelli (Florida), Dr. Marin Wendell (Nevada), and I (Denise Perron, DC, Montreal, Canada) traveled to the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres to perform a PosturePrint™ Reliability study with Martin Normand, PhD, DC, Professor at UQTR. Dr. Normand and Dr. Harrison had previously written a research proposal and IRB for using student subjects for our reliability project. After the Ethics committee at the UQTR approved our project, Dr. Normand arranged to have 40+ volunteers and for permission to use the lab at the Chiropractic Division of UQTR.

While I obtained personal data from each subject, Drs. Marin Wendell, Joe Ferrantelli, and Martin Normand placed markers and took three photographs of each volunteer subject. With a one day delay, this process was repeated. This will allow for three sets of Intra- and Inter-Examiner Reliability data on the PosturePrint™ system.

Those not familiar with research protocol believe that we should have done PosturePrint™ research on human subjects first, but it is a waste of money to do reliability studies if one’s evaluation tool is not valid/accurate. Thus, first we performed validity studies on mannequins with the PosturePrint™ at the University of Quebec a Trois Rivieres last year. When the results came out more accurate than we dreamed, we designed this reliability study.

When the data analysis is finished, this present reliability project will complete our preliminary investigations into the validity and reliability of the PosturePrint™ system, which is used to measure rotations and translations of the head, rib cage, and pelvis in 3-D. We will then proceed with the Posture and Health study planned with the ICA. You can contact me, Dr. Denise Perron at perrond@biotonix.com or Susan Bourck at bourcks@biotonix.com.

Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

PosturePrint™ Can Determine Axial Rotations (Ry) Without a Vertical Camera

by Denise L. Perron, BS, DC

Dr. Denise Perron presently is Vice President of healthcare Division at Biotonix , a technology company in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has a Bachelors Degree in Biology and she received her DC degree from Palmer College. Before deciding to help advance Biotonix’s entry into healthcare markets, she had a high volume chiropractic practice in Montreal.

It is standard practice in Chiropractic that Doctors perform a postural analysis in the initial exam. Typically, the Doctors do this by eye ball or by some simple plumb line analysis and then simply note their findings. A few DCs use a simple computer plumb line system that cannot determine rotations and translations of the head, rib cage, or pelvis.
PosturePrint™ is an Internet computer analysis system offered by Biotonix, a Montreal, Quebec, Canada Company, that uses three digital images to detect postural deviations. There are a few Posture Analysis programs available for clinical use in Chiropractic practice, but none have published research, except one system: the PosturePrint™.1,2 The PosturePrint™ system also automatically identifies the postural deviations and links them to a nine-week corrective exercise program.
PosturePrint™ measures postural deviations as rotations and translations of the head, rib cage, and pelvis. It can find axial rotations (termed Ry in the Panjabi et al.3 1974 coordinate system) without a vertical digital photograph. While most university systems, that measure posture as rotations and translation, have between 4-6 cameras and a vertical camera for axial rotations, the PosturePrint™ does not require a vertical camera. The PosturePrint uses a left lateral, an AP, and right lateral digital photographs.
Axial rotations (Ry) are calculated, within an accuracy of 1.5 degrees, using some simple ingenious methods developed by two PhD mathematicians. For the head, a projection of a triangular marker system, is used to determine angles of rotation (Figure 1).

Figure 1

For the rib cage and pelvis, projection of the distance between two markers on a fixed plastic strip at the inferior scapulae or on the posterior buttocks is used to calculate rotations in degrees (Figures 2 and 3).

Figures 2 and 3

The need, for non-invasive, scientifically based, and proven tools, is essential to the practice of chiropractic. As a profession, we need to remain on the leading edge of technology by using such tools to better the care of our patients: high touch and high tech. PosturePrint™ meets this need for postural analysis and provides for measurements of improvement pre- and post-care.
By using the PosturePrint™, Chiropractors are not only offering their patients the latest and most scientific way to detect and identify postural deviation and to have a scientific based exercise programs to correct it, but they are participating and contributing to research. The data base we are amassing is the largest data base in the world today on postural parameters, deviation detection, and charting pain and disability indices. Chiropractors, should they choose to, can participate in this research as they use the PosturePrint™ from their offices at no additional cost. By using such a tool, you can serve patients and help our profession with research.
Should using the PosturePrint™ in your office and participating in research be an interest to you, contact me at our Biotonix Montreal Office at perrond@biotonix.com.

References
1) Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Black P, Perron DL. Validation of an algorithm to estimate 3-D rotations and translations of the rib cage in upright posture from three 2-D digital images. 8th Biennial Congress of the World Federation of Chiropractic, International Conference on Chiropractic Research, Sydney, Australia, June 16-18, 2005:328-9.
2) Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Black P, Perron DL. Validation of an algorithm to estimate 3-D rotations and translations of the head in upright posture from three 2-D images. 8th Biennial Congress of the World Federation of Chiropractic, International Conference on Chiropractic Research, Sydney, Australia, June 16-18, 2005:332-3.
3) Panjabi MM, White AA, Brand RA. A note on defining body parts configurations. J Biomech 1974; 7(4): 385-87.

PosturePrint™ is Now a Validated Posture Analysis

By Denise Perron, BS, DC

Dr. Perron presently is Vice President of Business Development for Biotonix, a technology company in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She received her DC degree from Palmer College in 1985. Before deciding to help advance Biotonix‚s entry into healthcare markets, she had a high volume chiropractic practice for 15 years. For the past 8 years, Dr. Perron has been a member of the Board of Directors of Somiper Inc., which owns assets in the biotechnology, pulp and paper and aviation industries. She has lectured on Postural analysis and protocols of care at many different chiropractic colleges and universities, including Parker, CMCC, UQTR, as well as medical institutions such as Stanford, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Since 2002, Dr Perron has also been involved with lecturing to Chiropractors and healthcare practitioners in Japan.

There are a few Posture Analysis programs available for clinical use in Chiropractic practice, but none have published research, except one system: the PosturePrint™.1,2 PosturePrint™ is a Internet computer analysis system offered by Biotonix, a Montreal, Quebec, Canada Company.

In December 2004, at the University of Quebec at Three Rivers’ Biomechanics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Martin Normand, over 700 digital photographs of a mannequin head, rib cage, and pelvis were obtained in different measured postures.

The PosturePrint™ system requires a three photographic set (left lateral, AP, and right lateral). These photographs were processed through the Biotonix PosturePrint™ program and the measurements in degrees of rotation and millimeters of translation were compared to the known positioned mannequin parts. The errors were less than 1.5 mm and less than 1.5 degrees for measuring the head, rib cage, and pelvis in 3-D as rotations (Rx, Ry, Rz) and translations (Tx, Tz). This accuracy is phenomenal considering that we are not using a $200,000 University computer program with 4-6 simultaneous camera settings.

References

1) Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Black P, Perron DL. Validation of an algorithm to estimate 3-D rotations and translations of the rib cage in upright posture from three 2-D digital images. 8th Biennial Congress of the World Federation of Chiropractic, International Conference on Chiropractic Research, Sydney, Australia, June 16-18, 2005:328-9.

2) Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Normand MC, Black P, Perron DL. Validation of an algorithm to estimate 3-D rotations and translations of the head in upright posture from three 2-D images. 8th Biennial Congress of the World Federation of Chiropractic, International Conference on Chiropractic Research, Sydney, Australia, June 16-18, 2005:332-3.

Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.

PosturePrint - Video Examples

See Videos of PosturePrint in Action

Examination


Postural Digitization


Report Generation, Part 1


Report Generation, Part 2

PosturePrint^® Research & News


Mobile Posture Analysis . . . Anywhere, Anytime!
PostureScreen Mobile is PATENT PENDING

Developed for the Iphone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Best Posture Analysis Software at a price that EVERYONE can afford! Your Investment starts at as low as the change in your pocket! It is ONLY $7.99 for the app and first 10 assessments, and then utilize for as low as 10 cents per evaluation. See why PostureScreen Mobile is the FASTEST growing posture analysis examination software on the market.

Get it now in the iTunes AppStore!

If you are a chiropractor, physical therapist, fitness trainer/professional or massage therapist who routinely performs postural assessments on prospective patients after workshops, health talks, or at spinal screenings, then PostureCo's PostureScreen Mobile is for you! This tool is intended to be a quick "express" postural assessment tool, in which you can quickly render findings to prospective patients, capture patient demographics, and print or email the prospective patient their findings.