Total head excursion and resting head posture: Normal and patient comparisons

Objective: To determine whether significant differences existed between normal and patient groups on three postural measurements: anterior-posterior total head excursion (TI-IE), resting head posture in sitting (RHPsit), and resting head posture in standing (RHPstd). Subjects: Forty-two healthy subjects, 13 men and 29 women between the ages of 20 and 60 years, were matched Co 42 patients according to gender and age. Design: Measurements of THE, RHPsit, and RHPstd were taken for each subject. Patients were measured during their initial evaluation and had neck pain as a primary or secondary complaint. Results: A two-way multivariate analysis of variance followed by two-way analyses of variance showed that normal subjects had a significantly (p < .05) greater THE than did the patients and that men (patients and controls) scored significantly higher (p (.05) than women (patients and controls) on both THE and RHPstd. Conclusion: Clinical assessment of patients with cervical pain should focus on cervical mobility rather than resting head posture. Head/neck posture is different for males and females and they should not be judged by the same standard.