The Correlation between Craniovertebral Angle and Scapular Dyskinesis in Adults

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Faulty neck posture causes many musculoskeletal disorders in the neck and shoulders. Considering the shared muscle attachments of the neck and the scapula, identifying the correlation between neck posture and scapular position can be effective in preventing shoulder pain. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the relationship between neck posture and static and dynamic scapular position. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 38 female students from the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences without history of dysfunction in the shoulder and neck were selected and examined through nonprobability convenience sampling. Neck posture was examined by measuring the craniovertebral angle using diagnostic imaging techniques. The scapula – spine distance was measured using the ruler and the scapular winging was measured in hanging position of hand and during the flexion and scaption, and then the relationship between them and the craniovertebral angle was investigated. FINDINGS: Subjects with an average age of 24.71±3.02 participated in the study. There was a significant correlation between craniovertebral angle (51.09±5.73) and the scapular winging in flexion (r=0.38, p=0.01) and scaption (r=0.44, p=0.005). There was no significant relationship between the craniovertebral angle and the distance between the fourth thoracic vertebra (T4) and the inferior angle of the scapula (6.29±0.96) and the distance between inferior angle and the corresponding vertebral levels (7.80±0.93). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that neck posture is correlated with scapular dyskinesis in a dynamic scapular position.

Keywords

• neck
• scapula
• spine
• craniovertebral angle