Effects of Scapular Posterior Tilt Exercises and Cross-Body Stretching in Postpartum Women With Rounded Shoulders
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Scapular Posterior Tilt exercises, Cross-Body Stretching.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Postpartum Complication. Basic parameters: 20 years — 35 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Pakistan
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Comparative Effects of Scapular Posterior Tilt Exercises and Cross-Body Stretching on Breastfeeding Efficiency Latch Quality and Posture in Postpartum Women With Rounded Shoulders
Overview
This study aims to compare the effects of scapular posterior tilt exercises and cross-body stretching on breastfeeding efficiency, latch quality, and posture in postpartum women with rounded shoulders.
Detailed description
This randomized clinical study will include 30 postpartum women (2 weeks to 6 months postpartum) who will meet the inclusion criteria for rounded shoulders and will be actively breastfeeding. The study will be conducted at Sheik Zaid Hospital and will include multiparous women. Participants will be randomly allocated into two intervention groups: Group A, which will perform scapular posterior tilt exercises, and Group B, which will engage in cross-body stretching exercises. Both groups will undergo their respective intervention protocols three times per week over a period of four weeks. All participants will receive standardized ergonomic education focused on proper breastfeeding posture. The tools that will be used for assessment include the Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (BBAT) for latch quality, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES) for breastfeeding efficiency, and a posture analysis using the AI Posture Evaluation and Correction System (APECS). Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention. Data will be entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.
Interventions
- Other Scapular Posterior Tilt exercises
* 3 sessions per week * Duration: 20-30 minutes per session * Total duration: 6 weeks - Other Cross-Body Stretching
3 sessions per week, Duration: 20-30 minutes per session. for 6 weeks
Primary outcome measures
- BREASTFEEDING SELF EFFICACY SCALE: [Time frame: 6th week]
- Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool: [Time frame: 6th week]
- APESC: [Time frame: 6th week]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Mutiparous females.
- previous cesarean section deliveries
- Postpartum women between 2 weeks and 6 months postpartum.
- Experiencing shoulder discomfort or poor posture
Exclusion criteria
- History of recent trauma or surgery such a Arthroscopy for Impingement Syndrome, Shoulder Replacement that affecting the shoulder complex.
- Mother with history of breast cancer and hepatitis
- History of shoulder surgery, trauma, or musculoskeletal disorders affecting the upper back/shoulder (Trapezius muscles train, Levator scapulae and rhomboid overuse)
- Severe postnatal complications (e.g., mastitis, postpartum depression, uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Pakistan · 1 center
- Sheikh Zaid Hospital — Lahore
Publications
- Algabbani MF, Alazmi AA, Alqabbani S, Almurdi MM, Abdelkader SM, Alruwaili M, et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Neck and Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disabilities Among Postpartum Women. Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2025;52(2):25833.
- Faisal S, Nadeem A, Waqas S. Association between Infant Carrying Methods, Duration, and Trunk Position Among Nursing Mothers of Lahore. Journal Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences. 2024;12(04).
- Escribano S, Herrero-Oliver R, Oliver-Roig A, Richart-Martinez M. Psychometric properties of the maternal breastfeeding evaluation scale: a confirmatory factor analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024 Jul 18;24(1):486. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06693-8. PMID 39026186
- Gu Q, Pan L, Yu L, Jiang Q. Effect of scapular posterior tilting exercise on scapular muscle activities in men and women with a rounded shoulder posture. J Orthop Surg Res. 2024 Jun 28;19(1):383. doi: 10.1186/s13018-024-04810-z. PMID 38943153
- Stubbs PW, Mehta P, Trostrup J, Tamminga SJ, Stynes SM, Koes BW, Verhagen AP. Exercise interventions for treating work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025 Apr 28;4(4):CD014643. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014643. PMID 40292669
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07576296 · REC/RCR & AHS/25/0510