Effects of a Resistance and Stretching Training Program on Forward Head and Protracted Shoulder Posture Adolescents
Condition: Posture Disorders in Children
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      -  To evaluate the effects of a 32-weeks resistance and stretching training program applied
           in Physical Education classes on forward head and protracted shoulder Portuguese
           adolescents (15-17 years old).

        -  To evaluate on adolescents submitted to strength and stretching exercises the effects of
           a 16-week detraining period after the end of the intervention protocol.
    

Detailed description: 
      A prospective, randomized and controlled study will be conducted over a 12 month period, with
      adolescents of two public secondary schools, in Lisbon.

      At the beginning, a total of 275 adolescent students aged 15-17 years old will be evaluated
      with photogrammetry. The students will be screened by measuring the cervical (CV) and
      shoulder (SH) angle with photogrammetry. If the CV and SH angle were less than 50º and 52º
      respectively, the adolescent was considered to have forward head posture (FHP) and protracted
      shoulder (PS) and was selected to the study.

      Participants will be excluded if their CV and SH angle was equal or higher than 50º and 52º
      respectively, if they had visual deficits, diagnosed balance disorders, musculoskeletal
      pathologies, such as a history of shoulder surgery, cervical or thoracic fracture, were
      non-ambulatory, displayed functional or structural scoliosis, or had excessive thoracic
      kyphosis.

      After these the eligible students will be randomly assigned to the control or interventional
      group. The intervention group will begin a 32-week stretching and strengthening program to be
      performed in the last part of the Physical Education (PE) classes. The control group will
      only participate in the PE classes. Since the 32th week until the 48th week the experimental
      group will not follow the interventional training program and both groups will only
      participate in PE classes.

      The program will be constituted by four strengthening exercises and three stretching
      exercises and is designed based on the assumption that the use of therapeutic exercise is
      effective in the correction of specific neck and shoulder postures. The training exercise
      protocol will be designed for the correction of the FHP and PS, targeting to the selective
      activation of lower trapezius, middle trapezius and rhomboids, to the lengthening of the
      pectoralis major, pectoralis minor and sternocleidomastoid and to the improvement of the deep
      cervical flexor function This program is going to be applied in the last 15-20 minutes of
      each PE class, twice a week, with the supervision and help of the PE teacher.

      The postural assessment of the groups will be performed in the beginning and after 36 and
      48-weeks intervention period.
    

Intervention name(s): Interventional program postural correction training; Control Group physical education classes
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The postural correction training program was applied in the last 15-20 minutes of each PE class, twice a week, with the supervision and help of the PE teacher.; Only performed the physical education classes
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Investigator)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Detraining; Neck; Exercise; Posture; Rehabilitation