Effect of Downhill Treadmill Walking Using Augmented Reality on Craniovertebral Angle and Muscle Activity in Subjects with Forward Head Posture

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: This study examined the effects of augmented reality-based downhill treadmill walking on the craniovertebral angle (CVA) and muscle activity in subjects with a forward head posture (FHP).
Methods: Thirty-eight participants with FHP were recruited for this study. All participants performed four different types of treadmill walking conditions: downhill treadmill walking, treadmill walking while playing an augmented reality-based downhill program, treadmill walking with a head-mounted display not playing an augmented reality-based downhill program, and treadmill walking. Treadmill walking was performed for 10 minutes at 2.3km/h, and the CVA and muscle activity were measured before and after treadmill walking.
Results: The CVA and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle activity after augmented reality-based downhill treadmill walking were similar to the before treadmill walking (p>0.05). The muscle activity of the cervical erector spinae (CES) and upper trapezius (UT) after augmented reality-based treadmill walking was significantly higher than before treadmill walking (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Augmented reality-based downhill treadmill walking affects the muscle activity of CES and UP similar to downhill treadmill walking. Therefore, augmented reality-based downhill treadmill walking may improve the FHP, but further study is needed to confirm the present results.