The definition of posture: A scoping review

Posture and its role in physical therapist practice has become increasingly debated. While some clinicians continue to view posture as central to patient care, others question the validity and reliability of postural assessment and intervention. Variability in how posture is explicitly defined in the literature may contribute to this divide.

The objective of this scoping review was to identify and describe explicit definitions of posture in the current literature and to examine the commonly used words and conceptual themes within those definitions.

A scoping review was conducted using the six-stage framework described by Arksey and O'Malley. Articles containing explicit definitions of posture were identified, common words were extracted, and a thematic analysis was performed by three reviewers.

15 articles provided a total of 20 explicit definitions of posture. The four most common words used in these definitions were body, position, segment, and relationship. Five themes were agreed upon including anatomy, biomechanical efficiency and energy regulation, complex multisystem involvement, balance and adaptive responses, and health. Limited consistency was noted within the themes aside from health, though all common words were related to the themes identified.

Explicit definitions of posture in the current literature are heterogeneous and lack a consistently adopted formulation. This definitional variability may present a conceptual challenge for future work related to the operationalization and measurement of posture in clinical and research settings. Further study is needed to develop a more clearly defined and measurable conceptualization of posture.