Sport-Specific Postural Deviations in Emerging Adults: A Reproducible Protocol Using the PostureScreen® Mobile Application

Abstract

Postural deviations are commonly observed in both athletic and non-athletic populations and may contribute to altered biomechanics, decreased movement efficiency, and increased injury risk. Despite growing interest in posture assessment within sport science and rehabilitation, many available assessment systems remain laboratory-dependent, expensive, or difficult to implement in applied settings. The purpose of this paper is to present a reproducible and field-friendly protocol for comparing postural alignment in athletes and non-athletes using the PostureScreen® mobile application within a quasi-experimental static-group comparison design. Sixty participants aged 18–21 years were recruited from community college settings and divided evenly into athlete and non-athlete groups. Athletes were defined as individuals who participated in at least one high school sport for four consecutive years, while non-athletes reported no history of high school sport participation. Standardized posture assessments were conducted using frontal and sagittal plane imaging with the PostureScreen® mobile application. Controlled environmental procedures, participant positioning, and digital landmark identification techniques were implemented to improve consistency and reproducibility. Independent samples t-tests were planned to compare deviations involving the head, shoulders, pelvis, and knees between groups. While the primary purpose of this manuscript is methodological rather than outcome-focused, the protocol successfully produced complete, analyzable datasets and high-quality posture images for all participants. This methodology provides sport scientists, athletic trainers, rehabilitation professionals, and corrective exercise specialists with a practical framework for posture assessment that can be implemented in educational, clinical, and athletic environments.