The Correlation Between Neck Posture and Scapular Posture & the Effect Stabilization Exercises for the Scapula

NCT07500571 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: Jeong Scapula protocol
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 56
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Recently, many office workers and young people have postural abnormalities, including forward head posture (FHP) and rounded shoulder posture (RSP). Most of these patients often complain of pain in the entire scapular area, including the trapezius muscle. Few studies examined the effectiveness of intervention exercises often used by clinicians to correct posture in these patients through training protocols. To compare and analyze the changes in scapular position between normal people and patients with FHP and RSP and to evaluate the effect of exercise therapy for 3 months in these patients, including clinical results and changes in scapular position and cervical angle through objective data.

Conditions

Scapular Pain

Keywords

Forward head posture; Rounded shoulder posture; Exercise rehabilitation protocol; 3D-shoulder CT

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Scapular angle

  Assessed by 3D- CT scan (Degrees)

  Time Frame: Pre-excercise, 3 months after starting exercise

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Pain Level

  Time Frame: Pre-excercise, 3 months after starting exercise

• Functional Improvement of the Shoulder (ASES)

  Time Frame: Pre-excercise, 3 months after starting exercise

• Functional Improvement of the Shoulder (SPADI)

  Time Frame: Pre-excercise, 3 months after starting exercise

Study Arms (3)

Group A; Normal Group

NO INTERVENTION

Group B; Self-exercise Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Self-exercise only

Behavioral: Self-Exercise only

Group C; Professional exercise rehabilitation therapy Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Professional exercise rehabilitation therapy

Interventions

Self-Exercise only BEHAVIORAL

Home-based self-directed exercise program without supervision

Group B; Self-exercise Group

Professional exercise rehabilitation therapy BEHAVIORAL

10-week stretching and strengthening exercise program for a total of 20 sessions

Group C; Professional exercise rehabilitation therapy Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age between 20 and 40 years
• those with a C-shaped lordotic curve of the neck without scapular pain
• patients with Forward head posture and scapular pain
• Willing to participate and provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Previous surgery on the affected shoulder or neck
• Disc space narrowing in the C-spine, or evidence of arthritis on plain x-rays of the neck and shoulders
• Frozen shoulders or suspected rotator cuff tears on ultrasound

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital

Hwaseong-si, Hwaseong, 18450, South Korea

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Fathollahnejad K, Letafatkar A, Hadadnezhad M. The effect of manual therapy and stabilizing exercises on forward head and rounded shoulder postures: a six-week intervention with a one-month follow-up study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2019 Feb 18;20(1):86. doi: 10.1186/s12891-019-2438-y.

  PMID: 30777064 RESULT

• Ertekin E, Gunaydin OE. Neck pain in rounded shoulder posture: Clinico-radiologic correlation by shear wave elastography. Int J Clin Pract. 2021 Aug;75(8):e14240. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14240. Epub 2021 May 26.

  PMID: 33971068 RESULT

• Cools AM, Dewitte V, Lanszweert F, Notebaert D, Roets A, Soetens B, Cagnie B, Witvrouw EE. Rehabilitation of scapular muscle balance: which exercises to prescribe? Am J Sports Med. 2007 Oct;35(10):1744-51. doi: 10.1177/0363546507303560. Epub 2007 Jul 2.

  PMID: 17606671 RESULT

• Cools AM, Declercq GA, Cambier DC, Mahieu NN, Witvrouw EE. Trapezius activity and intramuscular balance during isokinetic exercise in overhead athletes with impingement symptoms. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2007 Feb;17(1):25-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2006.00570.x. Epub 2006 Jun 15.

  PMID: 16774650 RESULT

• Borstad JD, Ludewig PM. The effect of long versus short pectoralis minor resting length on scapular kinematics in healthy individuals. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2005 Apr;35(4):227-38. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2005.35.4.227.

  PMID: 15901124 RESULT

• Borstad JD, Ludewig PM. Comparison of three stretches for the pectoralis minor muscle. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2006 May-Jun;15(3):324-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2005.08.011.

  PMID: 16679233 RESULT

Study Officials

• JEUNGYEOL JEONG

  Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospita

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Orthopaedics

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 12, 2026
• First Posted: March 30, 2026
• Study Start: January 2, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2022
• Study Completion: June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: March 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

KR (1)