Abstract

Introduction: the forward head position is a postural misalignment that seems to explain changes at structural and anatomical level of the cervical region, by measuring key points such as the vertebra-cervical angle and the thickness of the anterior and posterior neck muscles. However, there is little evidence on the ability to detect these changes. Objectives: to measure and compare differences in thickness of the long neck (LC) and sternocleidomastoid (ECM) muscles in subjects with forward position of the head and subjects with correct alignment. Material and method: a descriptive and cross-sectional study with two groups of participants (n = 20) between 20 and 35 years old. Subjects were divided according to the presence or absence of the forward position of the head, taking as a reference the cranio-vertebral angle measured when standing using the Forward Head Posture (FHP) Neck Exercises Center application. Also, ultrasound measurements of the ECM and LC muscles, and of the posterior cervical musculature, were performed with a Logiq S7 Expert R3 ultrasound machine. Results: the groups did not show statistically significant differences in demographic variables, except in the cranio-vertebral angle (p < 0.001). Although there were changes in the values of the thickness of the left LC muscle (U = 49; p = 0.940) and cervical extensors on the right side (U = 36; p = 0.290), they were not statistically significant, indicating the absence of differences between the groups. Conclusion: the forward position of the head does not imply changes in the thickness of the superficial and deep cervical flexor and extensor muscles.