Efficacy of physical therapy on cervical muscle activity and on body posture in school-age mouth breathing children

SummaryIntroductionThe mouth breathing resulting from nasal obstruction has been highly incident, mostly as a consequence of allergic rhinitis. In children, such condition is more concerned because it causes alteration during their development, which may generate deformities.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of a program of combined postural exercise and breathing, on the cervical muscles and body posture in school-age mouth breathing children.Materials and methodsNineteen mouth breathing children, mean age of 10.6 years, both genders, were recruited either from a public school or from a speech-therapy service. The evaluation procedures were electromyographic recordings from the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), sub-occipitals (SOC) and upper trapezius (UT) muscles and computerized photographic analysis pre and post-treatment. The subjects were submitted to a 12-week of a Physical Therapy Program (PTP) consisted by (a) muscular stretching and strengthening exercises using a Swiss ball combined to (b) naso-diaphragmatic re-education.ResultsThere was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the electrical activity on the assessed muscles during quiet position (5, 19 and 7.1% to 3, 2 and 10.3% for SCM, SOC and UT, respectively) and aligned posture (7, 19 and 8% to 4, 9 and 2.6% for SCM, SOC and UT, respectively) after treatment. Improvement in the postural deviation, especially reduction in forward head posture and abducted scapula were demonstrated in the computerized photographic analysis.ConclusionA combination of postural and breathing exercises was effective in restoring muscle imbalances and posture in a group of school-age mouth breathing children, as measured by changes in electrical activity and positional data.