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NCT Number: NCT06745960

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Forward Head Posture

The study aims are:

1. To investigate the effect of electrical stimulation (interferential current) on forward head posture and protracted shoulder in adolescents. 2. To investigate the effect of electrical stimulation on cervical pain, cervical ROM, neck muscle strength, and quality of life in adolescents with forward head posture and protracted shoulder.

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Key information

Conditions

Forward Head Posture Rounded Shoulder Posture

Age range

15 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculty of Physical Therapy

Dokki, Giza Governorate, Egypt

Location contact

faculty of physical therapy CU Cairo university

CONTACT

[email protected]

+2037617691

About this study

Forward head posture (FHP) is commonly defined as the protrusion of the head in the sagittal plane so that the head is placed anterior to the trunk. It can occur because of anterior translation of the head, and it is claimed to be associated with an increase in upper cervical extension, lower cervical flexion, or both.

Patients with FHP often experience neck pain and disability, it is associated with shortening of the upper trapezius, the posterior cervical extensor muscles, the sternocleidomastoid muscle, and levator scapulae muscle. Thus, FHP may contribute to neck and shoulder pain.

The prolonged uses of mobile phones and computers have led to a variety of musculoskeletal disorders, especially related to the neck as: Forward Head Posture (FHP), rounded shoulders (RS), upper cross syndrome, mechanical neck pain etc. FHP is one in which the upper cervical convexity is increased and the lower cervical convexity is decreased causing anterior weight bearing of the cervical spine. It is also known as Scholar's neck or Reading neck.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) has been used as a complementary training method, applied either locally or to the whole body. It activates muscles artificially through various electrical current forms, which are delivered through electrodes on the target muscles.

Interferential current (IFC) is an established therapy which is used to treat pain and also effective for providing relaxation of muscles. The application of IFC at the medium frequency which suggests higher penetration of the electrical stimulation in the tissue by reducing tissue impedance

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Girls aged between (15-18) years old.
  • Normal weight with BMI ranging from (16-25).
  • Adolescents with mild and moderate forward head posture(FHP).
  • Adolescents with mild and moderate neck pain.
  • Adolescents with protracted shoulder.

Exclusion criteria

  • Cervical disc.
  • Previous Shoulder trauma within last 6months.
  • Shoulder surgery.
  • Cervical fracture.
  • Congenital posture deformity.
  • Inflammatory disease, spinal tumor, spinal compression, spinal cord infection.
  • Taking any medication for pain

Treatment and study plan

electrical muscle stimulation device (EMS gymna)

Device

muscle stimulant device

physical therapy program

Other

neck exercises

Primary outcomes

  1. shoulder angle (SA)

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    To measure Shoulder Angle (SA) of rounded shoulder, a line from anterolateral aspect of acromion to C7 will be taken and a horizontal line from anterolateral aspect of acromion , it will be considered as forward shoulder when the angle is 52 degree or less.

  2. craniovertebral angle (CVA)

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    To measure Craniovertebral Angle (CVA) of forward head posture, a line from C7 to tragus of the ear will be taken and a horizontal line from C7 (the normal CVA more than 50 degree).

  3. head tilt angle (HTA)

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    To measure head tilt angle (HTA) or cranial angle (CA) the angle of the line between the canthus of the eye and horizontal line from the tragus, the head tilt angles is 17.74 ± 4.9 degrees in people with normal head posture.

  4. head position angle (HPA)

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    To measure head position angle (HPA) angle between the tragus manubrium line and the line extending from the center point of chin to the tragus, the angle is 38.1 ± 4.9 degrees in people with normal head posture.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain sensation

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    pain will be measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) , it is a numeric scale where 0 means no pain and 10 mean maximum pain.

  2. cervical range of motion

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    cervical rang of motion will be measured by goniometer, where the normal angles for each movement are Flexion 60 degree , Hyperextension 75 degree, Lateral Flexion 45 degree, Rotation 80 degree.

  3. neck muscles strength

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

    neck muscles strength will be measured by hand held dynamometer, strength is measured in units of force per unit area. The unit is kilogram (force) per square cm (kg/cm^2)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Eman I Alhadidy

CONTACT

[email protected]

+201223375282 ext. +201001457239

yosra MM Ali

CONTACT

[email protected]

+201013697310 ext. +201285604994

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cairo University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Painful Forward Head and Protracted Shoulder Posture in Adolescents

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Dec 24, 2024
Registry last updated
Dec 24, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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