Effectiveness of Ankle Stretching and Strengthening Exercises to Improve Rounded Shoulder Posture: A Pilot Study
Introduction: Incorrect posture habits and reduced physical activity can predispose individuals to various changes in the muscular and skeletal structures. Rounded Shoulder Posture (RSP) is one such clinical manifestation that deforms the normal relationship of various structures. Different...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2023-08-01
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Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/18308/61960_CE[Ra1]_F(IS)_PF1(AG_KM)_QC(KK_IS)_PFA(AG_KM)_PN(KM).pdf |
Summary: | Introduction: Incorrect posture habits and reduced physical
activity can predispose individuals to various changes in the
muscular and skeletal structures. Rounded Shoulder Posture
(RSP) is one such clinical manifestation that deforms the
normal relationship of various structures. Different treatment
protocols have been devised for correcting RSP; however,
postural changes in the musculoskeletal system can also be
addressed by focusing on muscular imbalances elsewhere in
the biomechanical kinetic chain.
Aim: To analyse and investigate the efficacy of ankle muscle
stretching and strengthening exercises in enhancing the
correction of RSP in young adults.
Materials and Methods: The present pilot study was conducted
at Amity Institute of Physiotherapy in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and
Prime Hospital and Ortho Centre in Faridabad, Haryana, India,
from January 2021 to July 2021. A total of 30 young adults
with RSP were randomly allocated into two groups of 15 each.
Group 1 (control group) received six weeks of conventional
exercises consisting of scapular stabilisation and stretching
of the pectoralis minor muscle. Group 2 (experimental group)
received ankle plantar flexor stretching and ankle dorsiflexor
strengthening in addition to the conventional exercises, three
times per week for six weeks, with each session lasting between
30 to 45 minutes. RSP and ankle Dorsi-Flexion (DF) were
assessed using the posterior Acromion to Table Distance (ATD) in
a supine lying position and a universal goniometer, respectively,
pre-intervention and post-intervention for the dominant and
non-dominant sides. For statistical analysis, after determining
the normality of the data, either a Paired-test or Wilcoxon rank
sum test was used to compare the data within each group.
Further, either a two-sample Independent t-test or WilcoxonMann-Whitney U test was used to find statistical differences
between the two groups at a 5% level of significance.
Results: The subjects had an average age of 24.8±4.07 years
and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 24.10±4.39 kg/m2
, with 11
male and 19 female participants (p-value=0.70), with the right
side being the dominant side for all. At baseline, there was no
significant difference in the variables between the two groups
(p-value>0.05). After the six-week intervention, a significant
difference was found in the ATD (dominant pre: 6.17±1.02,
dominant post: 3.47±1.05, p-value<0.0001; non-dominant
pre: 6.07±1.05, non-dominant post: 3.32±0.92, MD=-2.75;
p-value<0.0001) and DF (dominant pre: 16.23±1.37, dominant
post: 19.27±1.33, MD=3.03; non-dominant pre: 15.67±1.05,
non-dominant post: 19.53±0.74, MD=3.87; p-value<0.0001) in
the experimental group. However, the control group revealed
a significant difference only for ATD (dominant pre: 6.51±0.89,
dominant post: 4.47±0.84, MD=-2.05; non-dominant pre:
6.23±1.00, non-dominant post: 4.41±0.90, MD=-1.82;
p-value<0.0001). Additionally, when compared to the control
group, the experimental group showed statistically significant
results for ATD and DF (p-value<0.05).
Conclusion: The incorporation of ankle muscle strengthening and
stretching exercises was found to be more effective compared
to the conventional treatment used for correcting RSP. |
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ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |