The Effects on Habitual Sitting Posture after a three-week Posture Tape Treatment, a Randomised Control Trial

Background: Improving habitual sitting posture in office environment has beneficial effectson behaviour changes and reduces the risk of musculoskeletal symptom. There are different treatments to improve habitual sitting posture, one is kinesiology tape. However, studies on kinesiology tape do not confirm if tape is a valid treatment on postural control, improvingmuscular function, or releasing pain. What physiological mechanism is behind kinesiologytape is also unclear. A hypothesis is that kinesiology tape affects postural control by mechanoreceptors. Balancing body tape is a new type of postural tape with similar qualities as kinesiology tape. Aim: The aim was to investigate the effects of a three-week Balance body tape-treatment onhabitual sitting posture, assessed as the thoracic angle and the cervical angle, during a six minute computer work session. Method: Twenty-six subjects completed the RCT study, 12 were in the intervention group, 14 were in the control group (non-treated subjects). A questionnaire and a photographic postureanalysis method was conducted to investigate the subjects thoracic- and cervical angle beforeand after a three-week intervention with Balancing body tape compared with a control group. Paired sample and independent sample t-test was conducted to examine the mean angular difference and the changes between starting position and angular change from minutes 2-6, both in and between the two groups. Result: There was a statistically significant improvement in the mean thoracic angle of the intervention group after posture treatment with 6° decrease (p = 0.008), while no significantimprovement was found in the cervical angle (p = 0.058). No significant difference was foundbetween the intervention group and the control groups thoracic or cervical angle (p=0.151 - p=0.937). There was a 5° thoracic angle difference in the ability to maintain an upright sittingposture between the two groups in the baseline data (p=0.004). However, the ability to maintain an upright sitting posture during 6-minute computer work was not changed, either in the intervention group or between the groups. Conclusion: These founding’s suggest that the Balancing body tape has a small impact on subject’s thoracic angle in sitting posture after a three-week intervention. But compared witha control group no significant difference was established in mean angular, which reduces thecredibility that the Balancing body tape has an impact on thoracic angle in sitting posture. Further studies are required during a longitudinal randomised control trail to establish a scientific result