IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ARM SWING EXERCISE THERAPY ON SHOULDER RANGE OF MOTION AND FORWARD HEAD POSTURE: A PILOT STUDY IN YOUNG ADULTS
Keywords:
Arm Swing Exercise, Shoulder Range of Motion, Occiput-wall Distance, PostureAbstract
People who work in offices for a long time tend to have poor posture and a decreased range of
motion throughout the body. This could lead to chronic neck and shoulder pain if not corrected. Shuai Shou Gong,
a version of Arm Swing Exercise (ASE), has been developed and practiced by some Chinese people for over one
thousand years to maintain physical well-being. Its beneficial effects on posture and range of motion had not yet
been verified. The purpose of this study was to preliminarily examine the immediate effects of ASE on shoulder
range of motion (ROM) and occiput-wall distance (OWD) in young adults. The before-after study design was used
in fifteen healthy office workers (6 males, 9 females), aged 20-40 years, who participated in the study. The shoulder
ROM and OWD of the participants were measured before and immediately after a 10-minute session of supervised
ASE. A paired-sample t-test was used to estimate the mean changes in the outcome. Results in this study revealed
that shoulder ROM was increased in all directions (P < 0.05) while the OWD was decreased (P < 0.05) after the
10-minute session. However, a postural assessment method using a mobile application (PostureScreen) could not
demonstrate a significant improvement. In conclusion, ASE have provided immediate improvements on shoulder
ROM and forward head posture as indicated by a decreased OWD. Further research using a randomized controlled
trial is needed.