OBJECTIVE: Altered postural presentations have been associated with a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Therapeutic exercise interventions are often utilized to manage patients with increased thoracic kyphosis or "round shoulders", yet few controlled studies have evaluated their efficacy. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, controlled design was used to evaluate the influence of a home-based exercise regimen on these postural variances. Seventy-one patients with real or perceived concerns about their thoracic posture completed the 13-week study. Patients with 23 to 80 degrees of thoracic kyphosis entered the study. Pre- and post-intervention flexicurve measurements of thoracic kyphosis were made. Patients were randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 32) or control group (n = 39). A mixed design ANOVA tested main effects and interactions. RESULTS: A statistically significant (p < 0.05) interaction was found between group assignment and delta kyphosis values. Post-hoc analysis of the multiple comparisons produced a marginal p-value (p = 0.0557). Mean delta kyphosis values were +0.5 degrees (+/- 7.0 degrees) for the control group and -3.0 degrees (+/- 6.1 degrees) for the experimental group. CONCLUSIONS: This 13-week home exercise program targeting modification of thoracic kyphosis angles had a statistically significant impact. However, post-hoc statistical analyses and clinical implications are marginal.

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