• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.341-346
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a relationship exists between head posture and phoria, and usefulness in examining habitual head posture. Methods: Twenty two subjects (20 males and 2 females, mean age $23.6{\pm}2.7$ years) with abnormal phoria from participants randomized were enrolled in this study. For all subjects, testing included case history, cover test, refraction, phoria and vergence test. Habitual head posture (head posture, head tilt and face turn) was measured by Impression IST, and observed by examiners. Results: The abnormal head posture was revealed in some subjects with abnormal phoria. Spearman' correlation ($\rho$=0.524, p=0.045) showed significant correction between face turn and phoria at distance in 15 subjects with prism prescription. No significant relationship between head posture and phoria was found in subjects with abnormal phoria. The objective measurement and subjective observation of head posture showed insignificant correction but there was a distinct difference. The former was detail and the latter was discriminate. Conclusions: Presence of abnormal head posture was found in phoric subjects. The results indicate the need to observe habitual head posture at all major positions of gaze in phoria.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.311-315
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• 2013

Purpose: Forward head posture is a typical symptom in people who use computers for long periods of time. Respiration is a complex function involving co-operation of muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems. Abnormal posture can have a negative effect on respiratory function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between forward head posture and respiratory function in young adults. Methods: Forty-six healthy subjects participated in this study. Craniovertebral angle was measured for assessment of the forward head posture. The respiratory function of all subjects was evaluated by measuring forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1), forced expiratory volume at one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio, and peak expiratory flow (PEF). The baseline of forward head posture was less than 49 degrees. Results: : Significant differences for predicted FVC and FEV1 were observed between the two groups, however, no statistically significant differences in FEV1/FVC ratio and PEF were observed between the two groups. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate that forward head posture has a negative effect on respiratory function in young adults.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.208-213
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• 2017

Objective: Despite reliable evidence of abnormal scapular motions increases, there is not yet sufficient evidence of abnormal humeral translations. This study aims to analyze the motion of the humeral head toward the scapula when the shoulder is actively abducted using the C-arm. Design: A case report. Methods: The participant was a healthy man without any limitation and pain during shoulder movement. The participant's shoulder was abducted; this movement in the frontal plane was measured using a C-arm (anterior-posterior view) and was analyzed with computer-aided design. The starting posture was $15^{\circ}$, and as the participant abducted his shoulder measurements were taken and analyzed at $30^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$, $120^{\circ}$, $150^{\circ}$, and ending at $165^{\circ}$. A line was drawn perpendicularly to the line connecting the humeral head axis to the glenoid, and another line was drawn perpendiculary to the line connecting the scapular axis to the glenoid. The distance between the two lines measured is defined as the e value. Results: At the starting posture ($15^{\circ}$), the central axis of the humeral head was located 1.92 mm inferior to the central axis of the scapula. The humeral head was superiorly translated from the starting posture to $120^{\circ}$, and then, showed an inferior translation to the ending posture ($165^{\circ}$). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the humeral head moved upward from the starting posture ($15^{\circ}$) up to $120^{\circ}$ indicating, superior translation, and it moved downward when the posture was past $120^{\circ}$, indicating inferior translation.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.178-184
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• 2016

Objective: Tension-type headache is caused by hormones, foods, irritants, stress, obesity, fatigue, and neck and head trigger points-prolonged abnormal posture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of relaxation approach on head posture, static postural stability, and headache in persons with tension-type headache. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty-five persons with tension-type headache participated in this study. This study was a pretest-posttest with a control group design for a duration of 4 weeks (60 min/3 times/1 wk). The participants were randomly allocated to the relaxation approach group (n=18) and the control group with conventional rehabilitation including thermotherapy and transcutaneous electrical stimulation for the same period (n=17). Outcome measures involved forward head posture (FHP), foot pressure, neck disability index (NDI), and six-item headache impact test (HIT-6). Results: Relaxation approach and control groups improved significantly in the amount of forward head posture, neck disability index, and six-item headache impact test scores after training (p<0.05). The control group was found to be significantly different in the amount of FHP, backward foot pressure, NDI, and HIT-6 after training compared to before training (p<0.05). The relaxation approach group significantly improved in forward head posture, neck disability index, and six-item headache impact test compared with control group after training (p<0.05). Neck disability index and six-item headache impact test significantly improved after training compared with before training in the control group (p<0.05). However, the foot pressure was not significantly different between relaxation approach and control groups. Conclusions: This study suggests that treatment with relaxation approach combined with self-exercise would be effective in reducing the amount of forward head posture, neck disability and headache impacts.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.15-20
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sling exercise on the cervical lordotic angle, craniovertebral angle, and head rotation angle among adolescents in the forward head posture. Methods: The subjects include 22 adolescents that recorded a mild level or higher on the posture evaluation index by New York State. They were randomly divided to the hand exercise group (n=11) and the control group (n=11). The former group participated in the sling exercise program three times a week over four weeks in total with each session lasting 60 minutes, whereas the latter group was not included in the program. The cervical lordotic angle, craniovertebral angle, and head rotation angle were measured before and after the intervention. Results: The study compared the cervical lordotic angle between the two groups before and after sling exercise and found that the sling exercise group made an increase of $7.36^{\circ}$ from $21.91^{\circ}$ to $29.27^{\circ}$ after the intervention(p<.05). As for the comparison results of the craniovertebral angle, the sling exercise group made an increase of $5.64^{\circ}$ from $48.91^{\circ}$ to $54.55^{\circ}$ after the intervention (p<.05). As for the comparison results of the cranial-rotation angle, the sling exercise group made an decrease of $-7.73^{\circ}$ from $148.82^{\circ}$ to $141.09^{\circ}$ after the intervention (p<.05). The control group showed no differences before and after the intervention (p>.05). Conclusion: Those findings indicate that the application of sling exercise in the forward head posture can be a good program to maintain the right posture and improve or prevent an abnormal posture and raise a need for more clinical applications and ongoing researches.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.145-150
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• 2020

Forward head posture is one of the most recognized types of poor head and neck alignment. Poor head and neck alignment posture is a major contributor to compromised balance and neck pain, due to abnormal joint position sense and proprioception. Kinesio taping is an intervention method used clinically for the management of pain. Kinesio taping may produce its effects through pain reduction, stimulation of blood circulation, induction of muscle relaxation which provides correction of joint position, and providing stability to the muscles and joints without limiting the range of motion. Many studies have proved that kinesio taping has positive effects on the reduction of pain and improves alignment, on the other hand, some studies have not found. Kinesio taping may provide immediate pain relief and improved alignment following the application, but there is insufficient evidence to support sustained relief beyond that time and they recommended future studies to examine the benefits of kinesio taping as this would have a greater value in clinical practice. Therefore, this study is to investigate the effects of kinesio taping on the alignment of head posture and dynamic balance ability in people with forward head posture.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.871-877
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• 2015

This research was conducted to investigate the effect of continuous antagonistic muscle strengthening exercise and Evjenth-Hamberg stretching on the pulmonary function of university students with abnormal transformation of forward head posture(FHP). The results of study subject to the continuous antagonistic muscle strengthening(CAS) group(n=10) and Evjenth- Hamberg stretching(EHS) group(n=10) that was conducted 3 times a week for 6 weeks are as follow. FVC, IVC, and MVV all were shown to be significant in the pre post comparison between the CAS group and EHS group(p<.05), and significant difference was shown for MW between the two groups(p<.05) in which the CAS group showed better effect. Based on the results above, it is considered that combining continuous antagonistic muscle strengthening exercise has better effect on pulmonary function compared to application of only Evjenth-Hamberg stretching.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.633-639
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• 2013

This study aims to reveal the impact of continuous antagonist strengthening(CAS) and Evjenth-Hamberg stretching(EHS) on the cervical mobility in the university students with abnormal transformation of forward head posture(FHP). Our experiment was conducted 3 times a week for 6 weeks in a total of 20 individuals : continuous antagonist strengthening(CAS) group(n=10) & Evjenth-Hamberg stretching(EHS) group(n=10). In a pre and post comparison, both CAS group and EHS group appeared significantly in mSBI and SBA(p<.05) and the two-group comparison showed a significant difference(p<.05) : CAS group showed better effects. Thus, it is considered that the combined use with continuous antagonist strengthening(CAS) had better effects for cervical mobility than Evjenth-Hamberg stretching(EHS) alone.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.446-453
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• 2022

Objective: The popularization of smartphones can lead to abnormal cervical alignment in university students. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among smartphone screen time, cervical alignment, and muscle function in university students. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Seventy-five university students participated in the study. They completed the evaluation of cervical alignment and muscle function, such as handgrip strength, proprioception, and muscle quality (tone, stiffness, and relaxation time). All participants recorded their general characteristics and individual smartphone screen time before the evaluation. They were evaluated craniovertebral angle (CVA) using smartphone application (angle meter 360) for measuring cervical alignment. The muscle function was assessed using a digital hand-held dynamometer, dual inclinometer, and MyotonPRO device. Results: Of all participants, twenty-five university students had forward head posture (CVA<49°, 33.33%). Independent t-test revealed that there were significant differences on smartphone screen time, muscle stiffness, and muscle relaxation between the participants with and without forward head posture (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between the smartphone screen time and the CVA, muscle tone, and muscle relaxation (r=-0.493, 0.250, and -0.500, respectively). Conclusions: The results indicate that the university students with forward head posture had high smartphone screen time and muscle stiffness compared to the students without forward head posture, and smartphone screen time might be associated with cervical alignment and muscle quality.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.337-342
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The Unilateral neglect is characterized by difficulty shifting attention to the side of space opposite the brain lesion and frequently reducing use of contralesional extremities. This study was to identify whether the visual deprivation was responsible for head position on unilateral neglect patient after stroke. METHODS: A patient with left middle cerebral artery infarction participated in the study. We assessed neglect using line bisection and star cancellation test. Patient was instructed to maintain correct alignment of trunk and head in a sit position. We evaluated degree of head lateral tilting and rotation. Then, patient was blocked visual input. Also, we evaluated head position in the same way. RESULTS: He scored 3 points in the line bisection test and 9 points star cancellation test. In postural evaluation, he had deviated posture such as lateral head tilting and rotation. After visual cue deprivation, patient showed different head position which was decreased degree of head tilting and rotation. CONCLUSION: For vertical body orientation, it was used multiple sensory references including the vestibular, somatosensory, and visual system. This finding suggested that abnormal posture of neglect patient could be related to the visual input. It has important clinical implications in terms of understanding the neglect.