Published Paper Details:

Introduction : Forward Head Posture is a common habitual postural malalignment often present since a young age and often observed in individual who spend a lot of time sitting and reading or working at a computer. Many cervical muscles are affected in forward head posture. Musculoskeletal disorders are also related to Forward Head Posture. Due to prolonged use of computers and poor ergonomics along with sedentary lifestyle, forward head posture is common among I.T. workers. So for this reason forward head posture should be identified by measuring the craniovertebral angle. Effectiveness of Integrated Neuromuscular Inhibition Technique (INIT) as an adjunct to Conventional Physiotherapy on forward head posture is studied to check whether they can decrease forward head posture in I.T. workers. Method : 42 I.T. workers both male and female in age group 18-30 years having forward head posture with trigger points at upper trapezius and levator scapulae were included and divided into two groups. People with neuromuscular & musculoskeletal disorders and those with history of shoulder arthroplasty or injury were excluded. Group A (INIT along with Conventional Physiotherapy) Group B (Conventional Physiotherapy) for a period of 2 weeks. For Group A, INIT - Integrated Neuromuscular Inhibition Technique and Conventional Physiotherapy were given for 4 times per week for 2 weeks and for Group B, Conventional Physiotherapy was given for the same period of time i.e. 4 times per week for 2 weeks . After 2 weeks, Craniovertebral angle was measured again of both the groups. Wilcoxon Signed rank test was performed to test the significance within the pairs and Mann-Whitney U test was performed to test the significance between the differences in the two groups. Result : There was high statistical significance within the pairs of each group (p-value < 0.0001) and there was no significant difference between the differences of each group (p-value 0.212). Mean comparison was done for Craniovertebral angle before and after treatment of each group. It was found that due to additional INIT treatment for one group, mean difference for that group was slightly greater. Conclusion : There is no as such significant difference between INIT as an adjunct to Conventional Physiotherapy and Conventional Physiotherapy on forward head posture. But clinically, INIT as an adjunct to Conventional Physiotherapy is more effective in reducing forward head posture in I.T. workers.