Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40092711›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork2025

MET to Levator Scapulae Versus MET to Anterior Scalene: Comparative Effects on Craniovertebral Angle and Cervical Joint Position in Forward Head Posture.

Neha Kulkarni, Riddhi Bhandari, Shruti Soni, Tushar J Palekar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Neha KulkarniMusculoskeletal Sciences Department, Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune, India.
Riddhi BhandariMusculoskeletal Sciences Department, Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune, India.
Shruti SoniMusculoskeletal Sciences Department, Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune, India.
Tushar J PalekarDr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri, Pune, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Forward head posture (FHP) results in an accentuated posterior curve in the higher thoracic vertebrae and an accentuated anterior curve in the lower cervical vertebrae. Dysfunction leads to muscle imbalance, where one side of the neck and scapula muscles become weak and the opposite group of muscles become tight. Strategies to correct this imbalance by treating flexibility and improving strength are the need of the hour. Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of muscle energy technique (MET) to levator scapulae versus MET to anterior scalene in improving craniovertebral angle (CVA) and joint position sense. Setting: This study was conducted at the outpatient department of Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pune, India. Participants: Both males and females aged between 18 and 30 years with a CVA <48° were included. Research design: This was an experimental study. Intervention: A comparative experimental study was done on subjects aged between 18 and 30 years with CVA<48°. Group A (n = 15) received MET to levator scapulae muscles with conventional treatment and group B (n = 15) received MET to anterior scalene muscles with conventional treatment for 4 weeks, three sessions per week. The outcome measures assessed were CVA and cervical joint position error, pre- and post-intervention. Main outcome measures: CVA and cervical joint position sense. Results: MET to levator scapulae and anterior scalene significantly improved the FHP (p = 0.001 for both the groups) and cervical proprioception (p = 0.001 for both the groups) using the Wilcoxon signed rank test for pre-post comparison. However, on comparison between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test, MET to levator scapulae was better in improving the FHP (p = 0.002). No significant difference was found in the cervical joint position sense between both the groups. Conclusion: Levator scapulae and anterior scalene flexibility should also be considered in FHP. Applying MET to these two muscles is not only beneficial in realigning the FHP but also in improving the cervical joint position sense.

Indexed as

cervical spineMETPostureproprioception

Identifiers

PMID40092711
PMCPMC11856437

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.