The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of neck and shoulder stabilization exercises using thera-bands and gym balls on neck pain relief, strength of deep cervical flexor, and cervical alignment in college students with forward neck position. For this purpose, the exercise program was performed twice a week for 8 weeks and was divided into a thera-band group (11 individuals), a gym ball group (11 individuals), and a combined group using thera-band and gym ball (11 individuals). The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), strength of deep cervical flexor, Craniovertebral Angle (CVA), and Cranial Rotation Angle (CRA) were measured at week 0, week 4, and week 8, respectively. According to the results of the study, firstly, VAS, NDI, strength of deep cervical flexor and CVA improved significantly as the term of training increased in every group, but combined group showed the fastest and most significant improvements at week 8 compared to week 4. Second, CRA decreased significantly as the term of training increased in every group. However, at weeks 4 and 8 of exercise, the rate of decline was significantly faster for combined group and gym ball group than for thera-band group. To summarize the results, when neck and shoulder stabilization exercises using thera-band and gym ball were used on patients with neck pain due to frontal head position, positive results were shown in reducing neck pain, increasing the strength of the deep neck flexor and improving cervical spine alignment. Moreover, the group of combined intervention not only improved strength but also motor-sensory skills, which showed better results than single exercise trainig group, leading to implementation of combined training significant.
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