Effect of four Weeks of Corrective Exercises on Forward Head Angle and Spirometry Parameters of Female College Students

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 PhD Student in Corrective Exercises and Sport Injury, University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran

2 MSc Student in Corrective Exercises and Sport Injury, University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: Forward head posture (FHP) is one of the most common faulty postures which leads to improper organization of the neck muscles and limitening of pulmonary capacity and whereby breathing becomes difficult. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effect of 4 weeks of corrective exercises on forward head angle (FHA) and spirometry parameters of college girl students.
Materials and Method: Thirty female students from the University of Tehran who suffered from FHP were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The subjects performed the exercises twice a day for 4 weeks. The forward head angle and spirometry parameters were measured before and after the treatment. Collected data were analyzed using the T-dependent test via SPSS (version 21). P-value was set at 0.05.
Result: After the intervention, the experimental group had a significant reduction on forward head angle (p<0.05). Also, significant differences were observed in Maximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV) (p<0.05). No significant changes were observed in Forced Expiratory Volume in One second (FEV1), Peak Inspiratory Flow Rate (PIFR), and Peak expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The data revealed that corrective exercise is a simple and non-invasive method to decrease FHA and can be helpful to increase MVV parameter.

Keywords


  1. Bandy WD, Irion JM, Briggler M. The effect of time and frequency of static stretching on flexibility of the hamstring muscles. Physical therapy. 1997;77(10):1090-6.##
  2. Hertling D, Kessler RM. Management of common musculoskeletal disorders: physical therapy principles and methods: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006.##
  3. Larsen BT. Muscles: Testing and function with posture and pain. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2005;37(8):1447.##
  4. Fernández‐de‐las‐Peñas C, Cuadrado M, Pareja J. Myofascial trigger points, neck mobility and forward head posture in unilateral migraine. Cephalalgia. 2006;26(9):1061-70.##
  5. Parsons J, Marcer N. Osteopathy: models for diagnosis, treatment and practice: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2006.##
  6. Levangie PK, Norkin CC. Joint structure and function: a comprehensive analysis: FA Davis; 2011.##
  7. Morningstar M, Jockers J. Improvement in forward head posture, cervical lordosis, and pulmonary function with chiropractic care, anterior head weighting and whole body vibration: a retrospective study. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health–Chiropractic. 2009;4:1-7.##
  8. Okuro RT, Morcillo AM, Ribeiro MÂGO, Sakano E, Conti PBM, Ribeiro JD. Mouth breathing and forward head posture: effects on respiratory biomechanics and exercise capacity in children. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia. 2011;37(4):471-9.##
  9. Horie J, Murata S, Inoue Y, Nakamura S, Maeda Y, Matsumoto Y, et al. A study of the influence of the pulmonary function on the angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis in community-dwelling elderly women. Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2009;21(2):169-72.##
  10. Lynch SS, Thigpen CA, Mihalik JP, Prentice WE, Padua D. The effects of an exercise intervention on forward head and rounded shoulder postures in elite swimmers. British journal of sports medicine. 2010;44(5):376-81.##
  11. Obayashi H, Urabe Y, Yamanaka Y, Okuma R. Effects of respiratory-muscle exercise on spinal curvature. Journal of sport rehabilitation. 2012;21(1):63.##
  12. SAYARI A, FARAHANI A, Ghanbarzadeh M. Study and comparison effect of structural corrective exercise and aerobic corrective exercise programs on some pulmonary indices of kyphotic students in Ahwaz Shahid Chamran University. Olympic. 2006.##
  13. Boyle KL, Olinick J, Lewis C. The value of blowing up a balloon. North American journal of sports physical therapy: NAJSPT. 2010;5(3):179.##
  14. Izumizaki M, Ohshima Y, Iwase M, Homma I. Chest wall motion after thixotropy conditioning of inspiratory muscles in healthy humans. The Journal of Physiological Sciences. 2006;56(6):433-40.##
  15. Morningstar MW. Cervical hyperlordosis, forward head posture, and lumbar kyphosis correction: A novel treatment for mid-thoracic pain. Journal of chiropractic medicine. 2003;2(3):111-5.##
  16. Corrêa EC, Bérzin F. Efficacy of physical therapy on cervical muscle activity and on body posture in school-age mouth breathing children. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 2007;71(10):1527-35.##
  17. Harman K, Hubley-Kozey CL, Butler H. Effectiveness of an exercise program to improve forward head posture in normal adults: a randomized, controlled 10-week trial. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. 2005;13(3):163-76.##
  18. Saunders ES, Woggon D, Cohen C, Robinson DH. Improvement of cervical lordosis and reduction of forward head posture with anterior headweighting and proprioceptive balancing protocols. J Vertebral Subluxation Res. 2003;4(000).##
  19. Grimmer-Somers K, Milanese S, Louw Q. Measurement of cervical posture in the sagittal plane. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics. 2008;31(7):509-17.##
  20. Yip CHT, Chiu TTW, Poon ATK. The relationship between head posture and severity and disability of patients with neck pain. Manual therapy. 2008;13(2):148-54.##
  21. Neumann DA. Kinesiology of the musculoskeletal system: foundations for rehabilitation: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2013.##
  22. Roddey TS, Olson SL, Grant SE. The effect of pectoralis muscle stretching on the resting position of the scapula in persons with varying degrees of forward head/rounded shoulder posture. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. 2002;10(3):124-8.##
  23. Wilke H-J, Wolf S, Claes LE, Arand M, Wiesend A. Stability increase of the lumbar spine with different muscle groups: a biomechanical in vitro study. Spine. 1995;20(2):192-7.##
  24. Christensen JO, Knardahl S. Work and neck pain: a prospective study of psychological, social, and mechanical risk factors. Pain. 2010;151(1):162-73.##
  25. Yoo W-G, Kim M-H. Effect of different seat support characteristics on the neck and trunk muscles and forward head posture of visual display terminal workers. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation. 2010;36(1):3-8.##
  26. Yılmaz F, Yılmaz A, Merdol F, Parlar D, Sahin F, Kuran B. Efficacy of dynamic lumbar stabilization exercise in lumbar microdiscectomy. J Rehabil Med. 2003;35:163-7.##
  27. Panjabi MM. The stabilizing system of the spine. Part I. Function, dysfunction, adaptation, and enhancement. Journal of spinal disorders & techniques. 1992;5(4):383-9.##
  28. Hellsing E. Changes in the pharyngeal airway in relation to extension of the head. The European Journal of Orthodontics. 1989;11(4):359-65.##
  29. Lin F, Parthasarathy S, Taylor SJ, Pucci D, Hendrix RW, Makhsous M. Effect of different sitting postures on lung capacity, expiratory flow, and lumbar lordosis. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2006;87(4):504-9.##
  30. Ribeiro E, Marchiori S, Silva A. Electromyographic analysis of trapezius and sternocleidomastoideus muscles during nasal and oral inspiration in nasal-and mouth-breathing children. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2002;12(4):305-16.##
  31. Huggare JÅ, Laine-Alava MT. Nasorespiratory function and head posture. American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. 1997;112(5):507-11.##
  32. Hall JE. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology: Enhanced E-book: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2010.##
  33. Çmen ÖB, Ulubas B, Sahn G, Çalikoglu M, Bagis S, Erdogan C. Pulmonary function tests, respiratory muscle strength, and endurance of patients with osteoporosis. Southern medical journal. 2003;96(5):423-6.##
  34. Silva AC, Neder JA, Chiurciu MV, da Cunha Pasqualin D, da Silva RCQ, Fernandez AC, et al. E ect of aerobic training on ventilatory muscle endurance of spinal cord injured men. Spinal cord. 1998;36:240-5.##
  35. Azizi A, Mahdavinejad R, Tizabi AAT, Jafarnejad T, Rezaeinasab A. The Effect of 8 Weeks Specific Aquatic Therapy on Kyphosis Angle and some Pulmonary Indices in Male University Students with Kyphosis. Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. 2012;19(5):440-50.##
Volume 4, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
November and December 2015
Pages 125-132
  • Receive Date: 13 April 2015
  • Revise Date: 09 June 2015
  • Accept Date: 09 September 2015
  • First Publish Date: 22 December 2015