title: The relationship of forward head posture and rounded shoulders with neck pain in Iranian office workers.
abstract: Background Office workers spend a long period of time behind a computer during working hours. The relation between the posture of sitting during work with computer and neck pain is still debatable. Even though some researchers claim a significant difference in head posture between patients with neck pain and pain-free participants, the FHP (forward head posture) has not always been associated with neck pain in literature. So, the purpose of this study was to discover the relationship between neck pain and improper posture in the head, cervicothoracic spine and shoulders.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study to explore the relationships between neck pains, sagittal postures of cervical and thoracic spine and shoulders among office workers in two positions, straight looking forward and working position. 46 subjects without neck pain and 55 subjects with neck pain were evaluated using a photographic method. Thoracic and cervical postures were measured by the HT (High Thoracic), CV (Craniovertebral) angles respectively. Shoulder's posture was evaluated in the sagittal plane by the acromion protrusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HT and CV angles were positively correlated with the presence of neck pain only in working position (p< 0.05). In straight looking forward position there was no significant difference between the two groups statistically (p>0.05). The difference of shoulder protrusion between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FHP and thoracic kyphosis were accompanied with neck pain. But shoulder posture was not correlated with neck pain.
authors.affiliation: 1. Assistant Professor of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Department of Sports Medicine, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. parisanejati@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nejati
authors.affiliation: 2. Assistant Professor of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Department of Sports Medicine, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. saralotfiyan@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lotfian
authors.affiliation: 3. Sports Physical Therapy PhD, Assistant Professor , Department of Sports Medicine, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. azarmoezy@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Azar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moezy
authors.affiliation: 3. Sports Physical Therapy PhD, Assistant Professor , Department of Sports Medicine, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. azarmoezy@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Azar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moezy
authors.affiliation: 4. Health Policy PhD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mnejati_m@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nejati
keywords: Neck Pain; Posture; Shoulder