Upper crossed syndrome (UCS) is extremely common in groups such as desk workers, mainly manifested as head forward posture, neck pain, and muscle stiffness. This study focuses on UCS patients and utilizes real-time tissue elastography (RTE) technique to assess the recovery of cervical muscle function before and after rehabilitation treatment. The aim is to clarify the potential mechanism of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for treating UCS neck pain. The indexes included the strain ratio (SR) of the Splenius capitis and the upper Trapezius, visual analogue scale (VAS) for cervical pain, neck disability index (NDI), and range of motion (ROM) of the cervical spine. After ESWT, the patients' SR of Splenius capitis and upper Trapezius, VAS, and NDI were significantly lower than before, while the cervical flexion-extension ROM was significantly higher than before. Correlation analysis suggested that ESWT could reduce the pain level and improve the cervical ROM in UCS patients by relieving the muscular stiffness of Splenius capitis and upper Trapezius, thereby improving the overall function of the cervical spine.

upper crossed syndrome  /  muscle function rehabilitation assessment  /  real time strain elastography  /  extracorporeal shock wave therapy