Clinical trial NCT05619094: Effects of Exercise on Alignment and Muscle Parameters in Forward Head Posture
Official title: The Effectiveness of Corrective Exercise Program on Alignment, Muscle Activation and Biomechanical Properties in Medical Students With Forward Head Posture
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Forward Head Posture
Keywords: Exercise
Craniovertebral angle
Muscle activation
Biomechanical properties
Surface electromyography
Lead sponsor: Cukurova University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-11-16
Enrollment: 36
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 20
Maximum age (years): 30
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: It is aimed to investigate the effect of corrective exercise program on alignment, muscle activation and biomechanical properties of muscles in medical students with forward head posture.

Detailed description: Forward head posture (FHP) is a common postural abnormality that can be seen in all age groups. It is characterized by the head position being forward relative to the neck in the sagittal plane. The anterior displacement of the head is mainly assessed through examination of the craniovertebral angle (CVA) and a CVA of ˂50° is described as a FHP. Therapeutic exercises have shown to be effective in FHP and related symptoms in many studies. One of the exercise programs applied is the corrective exercise program. Within the scope of this program, deep cervical flexor muscles and shoulder retractors are strengthened, cervical extensors and pectoral muscles are stretched. This exercise protocol has been reported to provide relief in neck pain, improvement in CVA and shoulder angle. However, the number of studies examining the effect of corrective exercise program for the affected muscle groups in FHP on muscle activation parameters is limited, and there is no study examining the effect on the biomechanical properties of the muscles.

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of corrective exercise program on alignment, muscle activation and biomechanical properties of muscles in medical students with forward head posture.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Medical students with a Craniovertebral angle ˂ 50°

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of chronic pain in cervical region
* Presence of spinal deformity and malalignment
* Disease, fracture or surgery affecting the spine-shoulder-pelvic region
* Presence of malignancy
* BMI outside the normal range
* Presence of medical condition that prevents participation in physical exercise program
* Presence of neuromuscular disease
* Involvement in regular and professional sports activities

Primary outcomes:
measure: Craniovertebral angle
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Craniovertebral angle
timeFrame: Week 8
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Surface electromyography (EMG) amplitude (RMS)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Surface electromyography (EMG) amplitude (RMS)
timeFrame: Week 8
measure: Myotonometer measures (Muscle tone)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Myotonometer measures (Muscle stiffness)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Myotonometer measures (Muscle elasticity)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Myotonometer measures (Muscle tone)
timeFrame: Week 8
measure: Myotonometer measures (Muscle stiffness)
timeFrame: Week 8
measure: Myotonometer measures (Muscle elasticity)
timeFrame: Week 8
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Adana
country: Turkey
facility: Cukurova University
Study officials:
affiliation: Cukurova University
name: Aylin Sariyildiz, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: