Efficacy of Combined Manual Diaphragm Release Technique and Neck Exercises in Adolescents With Forward Head Posture

In the past few years, the number of smart phone users has progressively increased worldwide. With the growing use of smart phones, concerns have also increased about musculoskeletal problems associated with the prolonged use of smart phones. Concerns have also increased about musculoskeletal problems associated with the prolonged use of smartphones. Recent investigations have shown that smartphone users tend to report pain in the neck, shoulder, and thumb, and the severity of the symptoms as the total time spent using the smartphone increases. One of the most overspread postural abnormalities is forward head posture (FHP) and it is described as head projection anteriorly in relation to the trunk which appears mainly in sagittal plane. When using a smartphone, people usually flex their neck downwards to stare at the lowered object and maintain the head in a forward position for long periods of time, the maintenance of a head-forward posture decreases cervical lordosis of the lower cervical vertebrae and creates a posterior curve in the upper thoracic vertebrae to maintain balance; this is known as the forward head posture (FHP) that causes shortening of the extensors of the neck and producing chronic neck pain. The weight supported by the spine dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees. An adult head weighs 10-12 pounds in the neutral position. As the head tilts forward, the forces felt by the neck surge to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees, and 60 pounds at 60 degrees. At 90 degrees, the model prediction was not reliable.