Effects of Scapular Posterior Tilt Exercises and Cross-Body Stretching in Postpartum Women With Rounded Shoulders

May 4, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Comparative Effects of Scapular Posterior Tilt Exercises and Cross-Body Stretching on Breastfeeding Efficiency Latch Quality and Posture in Postpartum Women With Rounded Shoulders

This study aims to compare the effects of scapular posterior tilt exercises and cross-body stretching on breastfeeding efficiency, latch quality, and posture in postpartum women with rounded shoulders.

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.

Detailed Description

This randomized clinical study will include 30 postpartum women (2 weeks to 6 months postpartum) who will meet the inclusion criteria for rounded shoulders and will be actively breastfeeding. The study will be conducted at Sheik Zaid Hospital and will include multiparous women. Participants will be randomly allocated into two intervention groups: Group A, which will perform scapular posterior tilt exercises, and Group B, which will engage in cross-body stretching exercises. Both groups will undergo their respective intervention protocols three times per week over a period of four weeks. All participants will receive standardized ergonomic education focused on proper breastfeeding posture. The tools that will be used for assessment include the Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (BBAT) for latch quality, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES) for breastfeeding efficiency, and a posture analysis using the AI Posture Evaluation and Correction System (APECS). Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention. Data will be entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.

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.
34

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 6400
        • Recruiting
        • Sheikh Zaid Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ramisha Saeed, MSPT(WH)

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Mutiparous females.
  • previous cesarean section deliveries
  • Postpartum women between 2 weeks and 6 months postpartum.
  • Experiencing shoulder discomfort or poor posture

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of recent trauma or surgery such a Arthroscopy for Impingement Syndrome, Shoulder Replacement that affecting the shoulder complex.
  • Mother with history of breast cancer and hepatitis
  • History of shoulder surgery, trauma, or musculoskeletal disorders affecting the upper back/shoulder (Trapezius muscles train, Levator scapulae and rhomboid overuse)
  • Severe postnatal complications (e.g., mastitis, postpartum depression, uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes.

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: Single

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.
Experimental: Scapular Posterior Tilt exercises
To improve scapular posterior tilt, focus on exercises that strengthen the lower trapezius and serratus anterior, which are crucial for shoulder stability and function
Other: Scapular Posterior Tilt exercises
  • 3 sessions per week
  • Duration: 20-30 minutes per session
  • Total duration: 6 weeks
Experimental: Cross-Body Stretching
The cross-body stretch is an effective exercise for improving shoulder flexibility and relieving tension in the shoulder muscles
Other: Cross-Body Stretching
3 sessions per week, Duration: 20-30 minutes per session. for 6 weeks

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
BREASTFEEDING SELF EFFICACY SCALE:
Time Frame: 6th week
The BSES-SF was a 14-item self-administered instrument derived from the original 33-item BSES that measured breastfeeding confidence. All items were preceded by the phrase "I can always" and were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at all confident) to 5 (always confident). Total scores ranged from 14 to 70, with higher scores reflecting more significant levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy.
6th week
Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool:
Time Frame: 6th week
Jenny Ingram developed this tool in 2022; Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.77. The scale is a Likert-type scale comprising the 4 items of "positioning," "holding," "sucking" and "swallowing." Each item is scored between 0- 2 points. The lowest possible score on the scale is 0, the highest is 8. Lower scores indicate that the breastfeeding is not successful, the higher scores signify successful breastfeedin
6th week
APESC:
Time Frame: 6th week
The APECS mobile app uses photo-based posture analysis and scores alignment across body segments using virtual markers. It has excellent reliability, with inter-rater ICCs above 0.90 for most measures and strong intra-rater consistency. Its validity is supported by its ability to detect postural differences between groups
6th week

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.
Riphah International University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: hina gul, PhD*, Riphah International University

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

  • Algabbani MF, Alazmi AA, Alqabbani S, Almurdi MM, Abdelkader SM, Alruwaili M, et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Neck and Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disabilities Among Postpartum Women. Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2025;52(2):25833.
  • Faisal S, Nadeem A, Waqas S. Association between Infant Carrying Methods, Duration, and Trunk Position Among Nursing Mothers of Lahore. Journal Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences. 2024;12(04).
  • Escribano S, Herrero-Oliver R, Oliver-Roig A, Richart-Martínez M. Psychometric properties of the maternal breastfeeding evaluation scale: a confirmatory factor analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2024;24(1):486.
  • Gu Q, Pan L, Yu L, Jiang Q. Effect of scapular posterior tilting exercise on scapular muscle activities in men and women with a rounded shoulder posture. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. 2024;19(1):383.
  • Stubbs PW, Mehta P, Trøstrup J, Tamminga SJ, Stynes SM, Koes BW, et al. Exercise interventions for treating work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder in adults. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2025;2025(4):CD014643.

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.
October 1, 2025

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.
June 1, 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.
July 1, 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).
May 4, 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.
May 4, 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.
May 8, 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.
May 8, 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.
May 4, 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.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • REC/RCR & AHS/25/0510

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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.

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