Comparing the immediate effect of chin tuck and turtle exercises on forward head posture: A single blind randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Introduction: Forward head posture (FHP) is a common postural deviation and chin tuck exercise has been traditionally prescribed to manage this condition. On the other hand, turtle is one of the common exercises in tai chi. Although, recently the physiotherapists are more interested in including tai chi in exercise therapy, there is no study comparing the effect of chin tuck and turtle exercise. Aim: The aim of this study was comparison of chin tuck and turtle exercise effects on FHP. Material and methods: 46 asymptomatic FHP subjects aged 22.45 ± 1.70 years were randomly assigned into two groups of chin tuck and turtle exercise. Cervical curve was measured before and after a 6-week intervention. The measures were compared by Mann-Whitney U test, paired sample T test and Wilcoxon. Results and discussion: 40 subjects completed the study. Within group analysis showed significant cervical curve increase. Interestingly, between group analysis showed equal cervical curve improvement. Conclusions: Both chin tuck and turtle exercises improved the cervical curve in subjects with FHP. However, the effects of these two approaches seemed to be the same.