Comparative Effects of Global Postural Re-education and NASM-based Corrective Exercises in Patients With Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS)

April 9, 2026 updated by: Rehana Hayat

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn the comparative effects of Global postural re-education (GPR) and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) based corrective exercises in participants with upper cross syndrome (UCS). The main questions it aims to answer:

  • Is there any difference between the effects of GPR and NASM-based corrective exercises in decreasing pain and disability and improving endurance in participants with upper cross syndrome?
  • Is there any difference between the effects of GPR and NASM-based corrective exercises in improving cranio-vertebral angle of participants with upper cross syndrome? Researchers will compare GPR and NASM-based corrective exercises to see if there is difference between the two treatments in decreasing pain, disability and improving endurance and cranio-vertebral angle.

Participants will be:

  • Given treatment 3 times a week for 8 weeks.
  • Assessed before first treatment session (baseline), at 4th week of intervention and at the end of last treatment session (8th week).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
46

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Okāra, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 56300
        • Recruiting
        • District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) Okara
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Rehana Hayat, DPT

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age between 20-45 years
  2. Pain in the upper back and neck region.
  3. Both male and female patients
  4. Rounded shoulders
  5. Craniovertebral angle less than 47 degrees
  6. Willingness to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of spinal surgery
  2. Neurological deficits (radiculopathy, myelopathy, disc herniation)
  3. Severe scoliosis or structural deformity
  4. Active cervical spine pathology (spondylosis, stenosis and fracture)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: GPR+ Conventional Treatment
Participants in this arm will receive Global Postural re-education treatment in addition to the routine/conventional evidence based physiotherapy treatment. Participants will be asked to repeat each exercise three times a week for 8 weeks.
Other: Global Postural Re-education

Global Postural Re-education

1st position: Patient will lie in supine, shoulders abducted to 30°, forearms supinated and the pelvis will be kept in a neutral position, while the lumbar spine remain supported. This position is characterized by a progression from flexion to extension of both hips and knees. 2nd position: Patient will remain in supine with their hips at 90° of flexion and perform gradual knee extensions. The participants will remain between 15 & 20 min in each of these two positions. Under the supervision and verbal and/or manual guidance of the physiotherapist performing the intervention, they will perform 5-10s isomet contractions of the antagonist muscles of the muscle chain targeted by each posture. Subjects can also make active adjustments to their position, the physiotherapist can favor with some manual contact, sustained stretching and some joint traction to complete the session, the participants will be requested to maintain an upright posture in standing for 5min

Other Names:
  • GPR
Active Comparator: NASM-based corrective exercises + Conventional Treatment
Participants in this arm will receive NASM-based corrective exercises in addition to the conventional treatment. Participants will be asked to repeat each exercise 10 to 15 times, for 1-2 sets, three times a week for 8 weeks.
Other: NASM-based Corrective exercises

NASM-based Corrective Exercises The four-stage exercise for UCS begins with preventing or reducing excessive muscle contraction (frequent foam wrapping), relaxing these same muscles, which fully eliminates dysfunctional muscles, and finally restores functional mobility.

Step 1: inhibit or self-myofascial release overactive muscles:

It includes the levator scapulae, trapezius (upper fibre), and sternocleidomastoid muscles. Hold pressure will be applied for 30 s on the tender spots.

Step 2: Lengthen/ Static stretch. Upper trapezius Levator scapulae Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) Step 3: Activate/Strengthen. Chin tucks Floor Cobra Step 4: Integrate. Ball combination A routine/conventional evidence based physiotherapy treatment will also be given to both arms.

Other Names:
  • National Academy of Sports Medicine Corrective exercises

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean change in endurance from baseline on Progressive iso-inertial lifting evaluation (PILE) test at 4 weeks and 8 weeks
Time Frame: From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
Progressive iso-inertial lifting evaluation (PILE) test has been recommended as a functional test to measure muscle endurance and involves lifting weights from waist to shoulder height (30-54 in.). Participants will begin with an 8- pound load and a 13-pound load for females and males respectively. Weight will be subsequently increased at a rate equal to the initial free weight every 20 s. Four lifting movements will actually performed at 20-s intervals. The test end-point will be established when aerobic capacity or neuromuscular fatigue being felt.
From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
Mean change in pain score from baseline on Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks
Time Frame: From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
The NPRS is an 11-point scale (0, no pain; 10, worst imaginable pain) used to assess the intensity of pain. Participants will be asked to rate their pain from 0 to 10.
From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
Mean change in disability score from baseline on Neck Disability Index (NDI) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks
Time Frame: From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
The NDI is 10 questions and each question has a possible total score of zero to 5. The total score from all 10 questions is divided by 50, the maximum score possible, with total scores expressed in percentage. Higher percentage scores indicate a worst disability.
From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean change in the Craniovertebral angle from baseline at 4 weeks and 8 weeks
Time Frame: From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
The angle formed between the oblique line connecting right tragus to C7 and the vertical line will be measured as craniovertebral angle. Lesser the angle, more is the forward head posture and upper cross syndrome.
From enrollment (before first treatment session) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Rehana Hayat

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 5, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB/FAHS/REHAB/10/25/MS/RS3458

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Time Frame

01-08-2026 to 30-08-2028

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be available to research journals, editors and reviewers on request through official email.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Upper Cross Syndrome

Clinical Trials on Global Postural Re-education

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings