Photogrammetric Analysis of Upper Cross Syndrome among Teachers and the Effects of National Academy of Sports Medicine Exercises with Ergonomic Intervention on the Syndrome

Background: Hyperkyphosis is often accompanied by forward head and shoulder postures. Together, these three disorders are called "Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS)". We aimed to perform a photogrammetric analysis of UCS among teachers and to determine the effects of National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) exercises with ergonomic training interventions on the syndrome. Study design: A semi-experimental study. Methods: Photogrammetric analysis was performed using the UCS software among teachers in order to determine the angles of forward head, rounded shoulders, and hyperkyphosis. Twenty-three teachers were selected purposefully and enrolled in Fasa City in 2018. They were randomly divided into experimental (n=12) and control (n=11) groups. Experimental group attended 12 wk of NASM exercises with ergonomic intervention but the control group did not participate in any regular exercise. The data were analyzed using paired t-test and differential independent t-test (P<0.05). Results: The results indicated a significant decrease in forward head (P=0.001), shoulder angles (P=0.000) and hyperkyphosis (P=0.003). The applied intervention had a 90% positive effect in reducing the forward head angle, an 88% positive effect in reducing the rounded shoulder angle and a 90% positive effect in reducing the kyphosis angle. However, the results for the control group did not show a significant difference for forward head, rounded shoulders, and hyperkyphosis angles. Conclusion: The UCS software application can be used as an accurate instrument for measuring the extent of the UCS. Moreover, using NASM exercises can lead to a reduction in the UCS among teachers.