Rigid Taping's Effects on Posture and Balance in Office Workers

NCT07815769 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Rigid taping
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study looks at whether applying a rigid tape to the upper back can immediately improve posture and balance in people who spend long hours sitting at a desk. Thirty office workers will have their head and neck position, spinal posture, and standing balance measured, then the tape will be applied to gently support the upper back and shoulders in a more upright position. The same measurements will be repeated 15 minutes later, while the tape is still in place. The tape is a flexible, skin-safe material commonly used in sports and physical therapy; it contains no medication and is not expected to cause discomfort or side effects. By comparing the measurements taken before and after taping, the researchers hope to learn whether this simple, non-invasive technique can produce an immediate improvement in head and spinal alignment and in balance control. This study looks only at short-term (acute) effects and does not test whether the benefits, if any, last beyond the taping session. The results may help patients and health care providers understand whether taping could serve as a quick, low-risk tool to support better posture during long periods of desk work.

Conditions

Office Workers; Spinal Alignment; Balance Assessment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Craniovertebral (Tragus) Angle

  Craniovertebral alignment will be assessed using the tragus angle, a validated proxy for forward head posture. An increase in the tragus angle indicates a more neutral (less forward) head position.

  Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application

• Change in Sagittal Spinal Alignment

  Spinal alignment will be assessed non-invasively using the SpinalMouse device in neutral standing, maximal flexion, and maximal extension postures, yielding segmental angles (sacral/hip, thoracic, lumbar, and inclination).

  Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Static and Dynamic Postural Balance

  Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application

Study Arms (1)

Rigid taping

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this single-arm study receive rigid thoracic postural correction taping applied by a trained examiner along a standardized pattern over the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning. Outcome measures (craniovertebral angle, spinal alignment, and standing balance) are assessed at baseline (pre-taping) and again after 15 minutes with the tape in place (post-taping), with each participant serving as their own control.

Other: Rigid taping

Interventions

Rigid taping OTHER

igid thoracic postural correction taping applied bilaterally by a trained examiner, starting from the anterior surface of the humerus and extending to the level of T12, to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning

Rigid taping

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• be an individual who works at least 6 hours a day at a desk
• not having had any musculoskeletal disorders or orthopedic surgery in the last 6 months
• not use any postural support

You may not qualify if:

• having been diagnosed with chronic pain or postural deformity in the lower back, upper back, or neck region
• having structural spinal disorders such as scoliosis, kyphosis, or lordosis
• having undergone physical therapy or manual therapy within the last 3 months
• having previously undergone rigid taping
• pregnancy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pamukkale University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Gaziantep University

Gaziantep, Şahinbey, 27000, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Officials

• Erhan KIZMAZ

  University of Gaziantep

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Tuba MADEN, Association professor

CONTACT

+90 531 934 02 49; tmaden@gantep.edu.tr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant professor

Model Details: All enrolled participants receive the same intervention (rigid thoracic taping) and serve as their own controls, with outcome measures collected immediately before taping (baseline) and again 15 minutes after tape application (post-intervention), while the tape remains in place. No separate control or comparison group is used; within-subject pre-post differences constitute the primary analysis.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2026
• First Posted: September 11, 2026
• Study Start: September 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2026
• Last Updated: September 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)