earticle

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Purpose: This study investigated the effects of balance exercise and foot orthotics on craniovertebral angle, foot pressure, and muscle activity in forward posture. Methods: Twenty-seven participants with forward head posture were included in this study and were randomly grouped into the control, exercise, orthotics, and exercise*orthotics groups based on the intervention provided. Craniovertebral angle, foot pressure, and muscle activity(sternocleidomastoid muscle & upper trapezius muscle) were measured using Image J, BioRescue, and electromyography, respectively. Results: A one-way analysis of variance showed that the craniovertebral angle increased in three groups compared with the control group. Left foot pressure was near perfect balance (50%) in the exercise and exercise*orthotics groups compared with the control group. Conclusion: Both orthotics and exercise led to an improvement in the craniovertebral angle. However, exercise more effectively improved static balance. Therefore, a combination of balance exercise and orthotics is expected to be more effective than only orthotics to correct forward head posture.