Effect of Different Head-Neck Postures on the Respiratory Function in Healthy Males

Normal respiration is a very intricate function that comprises mechanical as well as nonmechanical components. It is shown to be affected by various factors including age, lifestyle, disease, and change in posture. With the increased use of hand held devices, everyone is prone to poor sitting postures like forward head posture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of assumed forward head posture and torticollis on the diaphragm muscle strength. A sample of 15 healthy males, aged 18-35 years, was recruited for this study. All subjects performed spirometry to measure the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), the forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC ratio. SNIP was measured during upright sitting, induced forward head posture, and torticollis. Subject's mean age (SD) was 23(6) years. The SNIP score of the subjects during sitting with FHP was lower as compared to that during upright sitting. It decreased significantly during induced right torticollis position. This is the first study exploring the impact of different head and neck positions on respiratory function. Alteration of head and neck positions had an immediate negative impact on respiratory function. Clinicians should be prompted to assess respiratory function when assessing individuals with mal-posture.

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