RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FORWARD HEAD POSTURE and HAMSTRING TIGHTNESS

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FORWARD HEAD POSTURE and HAMSTRING TIGHTNESS in YOUNG ADULTS

The purpose of this study will be to investigate:

1. Relationship between forward head posture and hamstring tightness in young adults
2. The gender specific effect (female versus male) on the relationship between forward head posture and hamstring tightness in young adults

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Forward Head Posture

Detailed Description

Forward head posture imposes approximately 3.6 times more pressure on the neck than proper posture, and the prolonged burden of supporting the increased head weight can potentially cause neck pain, fatigue, and chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Hamstring tightness can cause posterior pelvic tilt, which leads to decreased lordosis of lumbar spine and resulting in LBP. Hamstring tightness can contribute to various issues, including muscle strains,loss of lumbar spine curvature, sacroiliac joint disorders, and plantar fasciitis. These problems primarily arise due to misalignment of the body and imbalanced force distribution between muscles and joints. Hamstring and sub-occipital muscles are connected by a neural system and sub-occipital muscles pass through the dura mater. this is called superficial back line (SBL), which connects the lower extremities, trunk, neck, and head protects the body's entire posterior surface and provides an important function of up-righting the body. There is still lack of research work about the relationship between FHP and hamstring muscle tightness and the gender-specific effect (female versus male) on the relationship between FHP and hamstring tightness in young adults.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 100

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Giza, Egypt
    • Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

young adults with forward head posture

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Both genders were included, with an age ranged between 18 and 25 years old.
• Participants with a CVA equal to or less than 49° were included (Haytham M. Elhafez, 2023).
• Body mass index was between 18 and 25 kg. /m2 (Haytham M. Elhafez, 2023).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Systemic disease
• History of hamstring injury within the last 2 years
• Previous knee injury
• Fracture in the spine or lower limb
• Spinal or lower limb surgery
• Pregnancy
• Congenital deformity
• Leg length discrepancy more than 2cm
• Acute spasm of hamstring muscles
• Neuromuscular disorders of the lower extremity, like stroke, muscular dystrophy and peripheral neuropathy
• History of any malignancy or infectious disease
• Spinal or limb deformities

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
50 males; 50 males with FHP and their BMI was between 20 and 25 kg/m2 ang ranged between 18 and 25 years
50 females; females with forward head posture and their BMI was between 20 and 25 kg/m2 and their age ranged between 18 and 25 years

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
craniovertebral angle and hamstring flexibility angle	craniovertebral angle is the angle formed between a horizontal line through the spinous process of C7 and a line from the tragus of the ear craniovertebral angle was measured by Photogrammetry and kinovia software hamstring flexibility angle was measured by active knee extension test and kinovia software video analysis	july -november 2024

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• this study compare the immediate effects of application of the suboccipital muscle inhibition and self-myofascial release techniques in the suboccipital region on short hamstring

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 29, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 29, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): November 29, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2024
• First Posted (Estimated): December 10, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 10, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: FHP and hamstring tightness

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
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No