Active and passive therapy of the upright posture and its influence on the hemodynamics of the upper limbs
Abstract
Poor posture negatively influences the hemodynamics of the upper extremities. In clinical practice, this is known as Thoracic outlet syndrome.
Poor posture leads to muscle imbalances which are solved with the active exercise or using the passive technique - taping. This work is an experimental pilot study dealing with the kinematics and taping of the cervical-thoracic spine and their influence on the hemodynamics of the upper extremities.
Ten subjects aged 26 +- 2 years, weight 56 +- 4 kg, height 161 +- 8 cm (mean +- SD) without pathology or injury of the shoulder girdle and spine were recruited. First part of subjects (5 persons) externally rotated the arms.
During this exercise the kinematic analysis was used for determining the extension of the thoracic spine. Another part of subjects (5 persons) used the taping of rhomboids and pectoralis minor muscles.
The hemodynamics of the axillary artery was determined with the sonography at both groups. The taping improves the hemodynamics of the upper extremities easier than the active exercise, which should be done with the control of the physiotherapist.