Effects of a 12-Week Global Corrective Exercise Intervention on Sway Back Posture in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sway back posture (SBP) is a common postural deviation of sagittal alignment and is the most common postural deviation in 18 to 28-year-old individuals, but there is no standard exercise protocol for treating SBP. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the global corrective exercise intervention (GCEI) on spinal posture of healthy individuals 18-25 years of age with SBP.

This study was a randomized controlled design with a parallel group, two-arm trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. Seventy participants (mean age 20.9 ± 2.1 years) with SBP ( ⩾ 10°) were enrolled in the study for 12 weeks. The participants were randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 35) or control group (n = 35). The targeted global spine strengthening and stretching exercise intervention included core and postural training, delivered by a corrective exercise specialist in 2 groups of 20 and 15 participants 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Forward head angle and sway angle were measured using a digitized side-view photograph. Kyphosis index and llordosis index were measured using a flex curve ruler.

The 12-week intervention program resulted in significant within group differences in forward head, kyphosis, lordosis and postural sway angle (P < 0.001). There was also a significant between group difference in the changes of all postural variables (P < 0.001).

The GCEI resulted in improved sway back posture in our sample of 18-25-year-old participants. This study supports the theoretical basis for clinical rehabilitation of postural deviations. Further studies are required to generalize these findings to other age and population groups.