Comparing the Effect of Postural Corrective Exercises and Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises on Dynamic Stability and Upper Body Posture of Dyslexic Children With Upper Crossed Syndrome

Abstract

Background and Aims Dyslexia is a learning disability associated with impaired balance and coordination. The present study aimed to compare the effect of postural corrective and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises on dynamic stability and upper body posture of dyslexic children with upper cross syndrome. Methods The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design. The statistical population in this study comprised dyslexic male students (8 to 10 years old) with upper cross syndrome. From the statistical population, 30 students were purposefully and conveniently selected and divided into postural correction exercises and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises groups. The Y equilibrium test was used to measure dynamic stability. To analyze the data, the normality of the data and the homogeneity of variances were first assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test and F-Levene’s test. Then, the analysis of covariance at the level of 0.05 was used to examine the intragroup effects and compare the groups. Results Comparing two training programs in kyphosis angle, forward head posture, round shoulder, dominant leg dynamic balance, and total dynamic balance showed a significant difference between the two groups (P≤0.05). The angle of kyphosis, forward head posture, and round shoulder were significantly lower in the corrective exercises group than in the Cawthorne-Cooksey group (P≤0.05). The dominant dynamic balance of the dominant leg and the total dynamic balance in the Cawthorne-Cooksey group were significantly better than those in the corrective exercises group (P≤0.05). Conclusion A comparison of postural corrective and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises performed in this study showed that the latter exercises had a greater effect on improving dynamic stability, and corrective exercises had a greater effect on improving upper cross syndrome. Therefore, it is suggested that to improve the balance and correct posture of children with upper cross syndrome, posture corrective exercises in combination with Cawthorne-Cooksey balance exercises should be included in the exercise program of children with upper cross syndrome.