Effect of Mat Pilates on Pain and Postural Alignment in School Going Children With Upper Crossed Syndrome.

This randomized control clinical Trial is to evaluate the effect of mat Pilates on postural alignment and pain levels in school-going children with Upper Crossed Syndrome. The study will focus on assessing changes in head, neck, and shoulder alignment, as well as any reduction in musculoskeletal discomfort following a structured Pilates intervention in children of age 8-16.This clinical Trial will be in two groups A) Intervention group B) Control Group. From a total of 28 Participants , 14 will be performing Mat pilates and routine Physical Therapy(Group A) while the other 14 will be performing just routine Physical Therapy exercises (Group B). Data Analysis will be done on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.00.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Children, Only; Upper Crossed Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Mat Pilates and Routine Physical Therapy; Other: Routine Physical Therapy (RPT)

Detailed Description

The current study will be randomized control trial, data will be collected from Physical Therapy department of Ittefaq Hospital, Lahore. The study will include 28 participants equally divided into two groups and randomly allocated. Inclusion criteria for the study will be UCS patients with age between 8 to 16yrs of either gender. Patients with any recent history of injury, severe systemic disorder and physical or sensory deficit will be excluded from the study.Group A (Experimental Group) will receive Pilates exercises and Routine Physical Therapy (baseline treatment). Baseline treatment will include stretching, strengthening and corrective exercises. Session duration will be 30 minutes, 10 to 12 exercises in form of 10 steps will be carried out per session, with no more than three repetitions of each exercise.Group B (Control Group) will receive stretching, strengthening and postural correction exercises as follows: Exercises for postural correction, stretches, and strengthening for the pectoralis major, elevator scapulae, upper trapezius, serratus anterior, rhomboids, and deep neck flexors muscles. -Every exercise will be for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, 3 times per day, - Push-ups and head-neck retraction were also included, total time about 30 minutes. Outcomes to be analyzed will be Craniovertebral angle and Thoracic Kyphosis angle and Pain. Data collection will be done before and after the intervention. Tools used for data collection will be kinovea software for Craniovertebral angle and Thoracic Kyphosis angle and Visual analouge scale (VAS) for pain. Data will be analyzed through SPSS version 26.00.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: IMRAN AMJAD, PhD; Phone Number: 9233224390125; Email: imran.amjad@riphah.edu.pk
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Muhammad Asif Javed, MS-PT; Phone Number: 923224209422; Email: a.javed@riphah.edu.pk

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
      • Recruiting
      • Ittefaq Hospital (TRUST)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• School going children
• Children of the age 8-16.
• Children having Thoracic Kyphosis angle under 20° and over 40 °,and Craniovertebral angle under 48°

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children with systemic disorders.
• Children with recent history of injury.
• Physical or sensory defecit(16)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Mat Pilates+ RPT; Experimental Group will receive Mat Pilates exercises and Routine Physical Therapy (baseline treatment). Baseline treatment will include stretching, strengthening and corrective exercises. Session duration will be 30 minutes, 10 to 12 exercises in form of 10 steps will be carried out per session, with no more than three repetitions of each exercise.	Other: Mat Pilates and Routine Physical Therapy; Group A will receive Pilates exercises and Routine Physical Therapy (baseline treatment). Baseline treatment will include stretching, strengthening and corrective exercises. Session duration will be 30 minutes, 10 to 12 exercises in form of 10 steps will be carried out per session, with no more than three repetitions of each exercise. The following is a detailed description of each exercise to be utilized in both treatments, along with its starting and ending positions and number of repetitions(24).; Corrected neck alignment while lying on the back on a mat (use pillows if needed); Arm circles (both directions) on the mat.; Diamond press; Diamond press and lateral arm movement to back extension.; Arm slides 90°:; Arm circles on a tiny barrel while lying on back.; Chair expansion.; Lying prone, stabilize the scapula and pump arms up and down with lower back support.; Straps for chest expansion.; Kneel plank on a Swiss ball.
Active Comparator: Routie Physical Therapy (RPT); Control Group will receive stretching, strengthening and postural correction exercises .Every exercise will be for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, 3 times per day, total time about 30 minutes.	Other: Routine Physical Therapy (RPT); Group B will receive stretching, strengthening and postural correction exercises as follows: Exercises for postural correction, stretches, and strengthening for the pectoralis major, elevator scapulae, upper trapezius, serratus anterior, rhomboids, and deep neck flexors muscles. -Every exercise will be for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, 3 times per day, - Push-ups and head-neck retraction were also included, total time about 30 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Kinovea Software	Kinovea is a free 2D motion analysis software that can be used to measure Craniovertebral angle, thoracic kyphosis angle and lumbar lordosis. This low-cost technology has been used in sports sciences, as well as in the clinical and research fields. One interesting tool is that it can measure an object (or person) passing in front of the camera, taking into account the perspective between the camera and the recorded object.	5 Minutes
Visual Analouge Scale	A visual analogue scale (VAS) is a measurement tool that uses a straight line to rate the intensity of subjective feelings, most commonly pain. The line is typically 10 cm long, with one end representing the lowest level (e.g., "no pain") and the other end representing the highest level (e.g., "worst pain imaginable"). A patient marks the line to indicate their current sensation, and the distance from the zero point is used as a score, often out of 10.	1 minute

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Riphah International University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Musfera Iqbal, MS-PT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Shadi N, Khalaghi K, Seyedahmadi M. Comparing the effects of Pilates, corrective exercises, and Alexander's technique on upper cross syndrome among adolescent girls student (ages 13-16): a six-week study. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2024 Jun 28;16(1):143. doi: 10.1186/s13102-024-00933-2.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 28, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 2, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 16, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 24, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 24, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Craniovertebral angle; Mat Pilates; Postural Alignment; Upper Crossed Syndrome; Thoracic Kyphosis angle
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Oculocerebral hypopigmentation syndrome type Preus
• Other Study ID Numbers: REC/RCR&AHS/MUSFERAIQBAL

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