The relationship between head posture and severity and disability of patients with neck pain

Chris Ho Ting Yip, Thomas Tai Wing Chiu and Anthony Tung Kuen Poon

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between head posture with pain and disability in patients with neck pain.  The forward head posture was measured via the craniovertebral (CV) angle in 62 subjects with neck pain and 52 normal subjects.  The CV angle in subjects with neck pain was found to be significantly smaller than that in normal subjects. The authors also found that there was a moderate negative correlation between CV angle and neck disability.

In conclusion, patients with small CV angle have a greater forward head posture, and the greater the forward head posture, the greater the disability.

Manual Therapy, 2008, 13(2), 148-154

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