Relationship between the degree of forward head posture and the shear elastic modulus of the upper trapezius in young men, and the difference in these variables between those with and without neck/shoulder pain and/or stiffness.
Hiroto Suzuki, Yuto Ohara, Masahiro Iwata and 2 others
PMID 40511318WHAT IT FOUND
Neck/shoulder pain or stiffness did not separate young men by forward head posture or upper trapezius stiffness.
More forward head posture went with slightly stiffer muscle, but the link was small.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference in craniovertebral angle or upper trapezius stiffness between participants with and without neck/shoulder pain or stiffness (p=0.23 and p=0.50).
02Across all participants, craniovertebral angle had a weak negative relationship with upper trapezius stiffness (ρ=-0.338, p<0.05).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only young men were studied, so the results may not apply to women or older adults. Participants were grouped by subjective pain or stiffness without measuring severity, intensity, or duration, so mild temporary symptoms may not match chronic pain studies. Measurements were taken at different times of day, which may have affected pain and stiffness. The study did not measure muscle activity, so it cannot show what caused the stiffness. Reliability was lower than previous studies, so measurement error may have affected the results. The cross-sectional design cannot show that forward head posture causes stiffness or neck/shoulder pain.
Declared interests
No funding was received, and all authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that correcting forward head posture will reduce neck/shoulder pain or stiffness. The study only found a weak link between posture and muscle stiffness, and posture and stiffness did not differ between young men with and without symptoms.