E-ISSN: 2548-0294
The Journal of International Anatolia Sport Science The effect of an 8-week corrective exercise program on head and shoulder angle, neck muscle activity and range of motion in subjects with forward head posture: Randomized controlled trial [J Int Anatolia Sport Sci ]
J Int Anatolia Sport Sci . 2023; 8(1): 1-11 | DOI: 10.5505/jiasscience.2023.83803

The effect of an 8-week corrective exercise program on head and shoulder angle, neck muscle activity and range of motion in subjects with forward head posture: Randomized controlled trial

Rasoul Arshadi1, GholamAli Ghasemi1, Hadi Samadi2
1Department of Sport Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2Department of Sport Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Iran.

Background: Postural disorders change muscle activity and lead to musculoskeletal dysfunction.
Objectives: to evaluate the effect of an 8-week corrective exercise program on posture, muscle activity, and neck range of motion (ROM) in subjects with forward head posture (FHP).
Design: Randomized controlled trial.
Methods: 36 healthy male with FHP participated in this study, who were divided randomly in two equal control (age; 21.34±2.06 years, height; 177.02±4.7 cm, weight; 64.2±8.4 kg) and exercise (age; 21.69±1.71 years, height; 173.94±3.81.0 cm, weight: 62.93±12.99 kg) groups. the exercise group received an 8- week exercise protocol. The control group did not attend in a regular training protocol. Forward head angle measured with the photography method. Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) activity was recorded with surface EMG and neck ROM acquired by universal goniometer before and after an 8-week exercise program.
Results: T-test results showed SCM activity (59.41% ↓, P= 0.02) and FHP (15.74% ↓, P= 0.00) decreased significantly while neck flexion ROM (16.47% ↑, P= 0.00), rotation to right(15.34% ↑, P= 0.00) and rotation to left (14.00% ↑, P= 0.01) increased significantly after the 8-week exercise program. The calculated effect sizes for these findings were large.
Conclusion: The 8-week corrective exercise decreased muscle activity of superficial neck flexors, improved head posture, and prompted neck flexion ROM. Based on these findings we propose that an 8-week corrective exercise may be implemented as a practical method in managing forward head posture.

Keywords: forward head posture, electromyography, muscle activity, range of motion

Rasoul Arshadi, GholamAli Ghasemi, Hadi Samadi. The effect of an 8-week corrective exercise program on head and shoulder angle, neck muscle activity and range of motion in subjects with forward head posture: Randomized controlled trial. J Int Anatolia Sport Sci . 2023; 8(1): 1-11

Corresponding Author: Rasoul Arshadi, Iran
Manuscript Language: English
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