Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan | [b] Department of Rehabilitation, Dajia Lees General Hospital Lees Medical Corporation, Taichung, Taiwan
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effects of Kinesio taping and
therapeutic exercise on correcting forward head posture. OBJECTIVE: To compare Kinesio taping versus therapeutic exercise
for forward head posture on static posture, dynamic mobility and functional
outcomes. METHODS: Sixty subjects (31 women, 29 men) with forward head postures
participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to either one of the
three groups: (1) exercise group (n = 20), (2) taping group (n = 20), and
(3) control groups (n = 20). The horizontal forward displacement (HFD)
between ear lobe and acromion process, upper cervical and lower cervical
angle (UCA, LCA), active range of motion (AROM) of cervical spine, and neck
disability index (NDI) were measured before and after a 5-week intervention,
and a 2-week follow-up. Data were analyzed by means of a mixed design
repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Both taping and exercise groups showed significant improvements in
HFD compared with the control group at post-treatment and follow-up.
Compared with the control group, the exercise group exhibited significant
improvements in the LCA and the side bending AROM at post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Both Kinesio taping and therapeutic exercise improve forward
head posture after intervention and a 2-week follow-up. The effectiveness of
therapeutic exercise is better than taping.
Keywords: Forward head posture, Kinesio taping, therapeutic exercise
