The Relationship between Craniovertebral (CV) Angle and Neck Pain among Male and Female Students with an Emphasis on Different Educational Levels

Abstract

Objective: Neck pain is a common cause for which people refer to physiotherapy centers. Neck pain may be related to prolonged static posture in head, neck, and shoulder during daily activities and studying. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between Forward head posture (FHP) and neck pain in female and male students of different educational levels. Materials & Methods: 1017 students (511 girls, 506 boys) from the University of Tehran in undergraduate, graduate and PhD level participated in this correlation study. Selection in departments have been target, however sample, s selection have been random. The mean of age of girls and boys was 23.78±3.74, the weight was 63.24±12.1, and height 162.42±7.14 and boy’s age was 23.74±3.91, weight 57.23±8.87, and height 168.53±9.74.FHP was measured in students by questionnaire, visual analog scale (VAS) and by using the Head Posture Spinal Curvature Instrument (HPSCI). Spearman correlation test was administered to analyze the data using SPSS 18 software (P&le0.05). Results: Neck pain was significantly and negatively correlated with FHP in female PhD students (P=0.007), while this relationship between undergraduate, graduate students and male PhD students was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Neck pain is associated with forward head posture in PhD students. Therefore, it is important to address these faulty postures and correct them in treatment sessions. However, due to the progression of student community to higher education level, it is more critical to be aware of the correct of posture position in students.

Keywords

• Neck pain
• Forward head posture
• Craniovertebral angle
• Students
• Educational status