Abstract
BackgroundBalance Body Tape (BBT) is a recently developed taping-method with the aim to reduce pain and improve posture through change in movement behavior. However, the potential effects of a treatment with BBT are scarcely documented. Therefore, the aim with this study was to investigate the effect of a three-week Balance body tape-treatment on the intensity of perceived neck, shoulder and back pain and forward head posture.MethodsIn this RCT study, subjects (n = 26), who reported being university students or having a sedentary work and experiencing pain in neck, back or shoulders, were randomized to either an intervention (n = 12) or control group (n = 14). The intervention group received a three-week treatment with BBT, the control group received no treatment. A questionnaire regarding pain, including a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) measuring pain intensity, and a Photographic posture analysis measurement (PPAM) regarding the craniovertebral (CV) angle were assessed before and after the intervention for both groups. Wilcoxon’s signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess intra- and between group differences respectively. The relationship between pain intensity and CV angle was assessed using Spearman’s correlation.ResultsNo difference in demographic and physical characteristics between the groups were noted at baseline (p > 0.05). Pain intensity at baseline was 5 for the intervention group and 4 for the control group (p = 0.330). At follow up, the intervention group reported a lower score (NRS = 2.5, p = 0.003) whereas the control group had no significant difference in pain intensity (NRS = 3, p = 0.086). No significant change was found in the CV angle (p = 0.058) and no correlation was found between NRS and the CV angle (r = 0.102, p = 0.619).ConclusionA short treatment period with BBT may, compared to no treatment, have a small reducing effect on pain intensity in neck, back and/or shoulders. However, no effect was found on forward head posture in this study.Trial registrationRegistered retrospectively on 08/11/2021. NCT05111704.Trial registration page link:
Highlights
Balance Body Tape (BBT) is a recently developed taping-method with the aim to reduce pain and improve posture through change in movement behavior
One type of poor posture that is associated with neck pain is the forward head posture [3,4,5]
The baseline demographic and physical characteristics of the intervention- and control group shown in Table 1 were similar between the groups (p > 0.05)
Summary
Balance Body Tape (BBT) is a recently developed taping-method with the aim to reduce pain and improve posture through change in movement behavior. The aim with this study was to investigate the effect of a three-week Balance body tape-treatment on the intensity of perceived neck, shoulder and back pain and forward head posture. The common definition of forward head posture is that the head is, in relation to the vertical line of the body’s centre of gravity, held in an anterior position [3]. This can be assessed from measuring the craniovertebral (CV) angle from a photograph taken in the sagittal plane. A high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability has been noted when using this method for measuring the CV angle (ICC between 0.81 to 0.87) [4]
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