How's My Posture?

The vision model looks at a side view the way a posture screen does, by checking whether key points stack vertically. In a neutral standing posture the ear sits roughly over the shoulder, the shoulder over the hip, and the hip over a point just in front of the knee and ankle. The model looks for where that stack breaks: the head sitting forward of the shoulders, the shoulders rolling ahead of the chest, a rounded upper back, or a noticeable change in the curve of the lower back.

It judges these by eye from the image rather than measuring angles or pixel positions, so the result is a description, not a number. You get a headline naming the most noticeable pattern and how pronounced it looks, such as mild forward head posture, then two or three sentences on what is visible in the photo. A side view is essential, because a front-on photo can't show where the head and shoulders sit relative to the hips.

Stand naturally (don't consciously correct your posture for the photo), against a plain background, photographed from the side at hip height for the most accurate reading.

Most errors come from how the photo is taken. Turned even slightly toward the camera, the head can look further forward or back than it really is. A camera held well above or below hip height tilts the lines in the frame, which can look like a lean. Loose tops hide the upper back and waistline, long hair can cover the ear the whole read depends on, and holding the phone yourself pulls one shoulder forward, which is why a timer or a helper matters. Most people also straighten up the moment they know a photo is being taken.

Posture changes through the day, so a single photo is one snapshot rather than your habitual posture. Use the result as a prompt to notice patterns, for example by repeating it at the end of a work day, not as a diagnosis. It can't see spinal structure, joint mobility, pain or how you move, and a physical therapist can assess all of those in person.

Postural assessment itself isn't new — physical therapists and chiropractors have used visual alignment screening for decades — but interest in it has spiked alongside "tech neck," the informal term for forward head posture linked to hours spent looking down at phones and hunched over laptops. Research on screen time and posture has grown substantially since smartphones became ubiquitous in the 2010s.

"Neutral spine" alignment — ears roughly over shoulders, shoulders over hips — is the general reference point postural screenings compare against, though some natural variation between individuals is normal.

The Plumb Line Behind a Posture Screen

Clinicians often check standing posture against a plumb line, a weighted string hanging straight down beside the body. In a side view, ideal alignment has the line passing through a set of landmarks. Real people rarely match it exactly, and small deviations are normal, but it gives a fixed reference instead of an impression.

For forward head posture specifically, clinicians often use the craniovertebral angle: the angle between a horizontal line through the bony bump at the base of the neck and a line from that bump to the ear. The smaller the angle, the further forward the head sits.

Taking a Posture Photo That Is Worth Reading

Set the camera on a shelf or tripod at about hip height, a few meters away so the lens doesn't distort your body, and use the timer or ask someone to take it. Stand fully side-on in fitted clothing with your hair tied back so the ear is visible. Before the photo, march on the spot for a few seconds, let your arms hang and breathe out, which settles you into your usual stance instead of a posed one. Standing next to a door frame gives both you and the tool a true vertical line to compare against.

Take one photo from each side, since many people stand differently on the left and right, and try a second set late in the day. Keep in mind that there is no single correct posture that everyone should hold. Plenty of people with a forward head have no discomfort at all, and changing position regularly tends to matter more than holding any one position perfectly.