RSM-DPA-S003
Written by Hironori Ikeda, MSc Sports Medicine
RSM International Academy · Chiang Mai, Thailand
Course clinical guide → Squat Shifts to One Side: Foot Pressure, Hip & Trunk
A lateral squat shift can appear larger when the observer moves off centre. The therapist’s own position is part of the measurement setup. Establish a view before deciding whether the client’s pelvis, knees or trunk changed.
In This Article
- In This Article
- 1. Define the Task Before Choosing the View
- 2. Keep the View Stable When Testing One Variable
- Observer Movement Is a Separate Trial
- 3. Re-Test the Same Lowering and Rising Phases
- Related RSM Clinical Blogs
- Study Dynamic Posture Assessment at RSM
1. Define the Task Before Choosing the View
Record foot width, toe direction and a comfortable target depth. During lowering, ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion and hip flexion share the demand. Stance changes can alter those demands even when no treatment has occurred.
Stand where the comparison of left and right support is visible without continually moving around the client. A frontal view and a side view answer different questions; retain both as separate observations when needed.
2. Keep the View Stable When Testing One Variable
Compare one condition, such as foot position, without simultaneously changing depth and verbal instruction. An ankle-condition experiment is not a diagnosis of a particular tight muscle, and a visual shift is not a direct force-plate measurement.
Observer Movement Is a Separate Trial
If you change viewing angle to see the foot or trunk better, return to the original view for the baseline comparison. Describe what each view reveals instead of combining incompatible impressions into a single score.
3. Re-Test the Same Lowering and Rising Phases
Use the same target depth, instruction and viewing position after the agreed intervention. Compare where the shift occurs during lowering or rising, together with the familiar symptom.
A new foot stance may be a useful task adaptation. Keep that result separate from the original-condition re-test and record which task or viewing condition changed. An improved short-term re-test does not, by itself, establish that treatment caused the change.
Related RSM Clinical Blogs
▷ Squat Shifts to One Side: Foot Pressure, Hip & Trunk — Dynamic Posture Assessment · Explore the full symptom assessment and treatment decisions.
▷ Squat Shift to One Side: Hip, Ankle or Trunk? — Deep Tissue Massage · Compare a related clinical question from another assessment angle.
▷ Knee Falls In on Squat or Landing: Hip, Foot & Trunk — Dynamic Posture Assessment · Connect the contact finding with movement and load.
Study Dynamic Posture Assessment at RSM
Develop the anatomical comparison, contact control and re-assessment skills behind this note. View Dynamic Posture Assessment course details. Explore the clinical guide. Check the official course schedule.
For the landmark and clinical palpation foundation, explore the Trigger Point Therapy course.
About the Author
Hironori Ikeda, MSc Sports Medicine is the lead instructor at RSM International Academy. His teaching connects functional anatomy, clinical palpation, treatment decisions and re-assessment.