2024 Volume 39 Issue 1 Pages 19-24
[Purpose] We investigated whether different head and neck positions when using a stretch pole affected the change in chest expansion. [Participants and Methods] Sixty-two healthy adult males were assigned to two groups: the intervention group (n=31), in which the head and neck were flexed posteriorly; and the control group (n=31), in which the head and neck were not flexed posteriorly. Differences in chest expansion were measured at the levels of the axilla, xiphoid process, and 10th rib before and after stretch pole use. [Results] Chest expansion did not differ significantly before and after stretch pole use in the intervention group. In the control group, the values at the xiphoid process were significantly lower after stretch pole use than before. [Conclusion] Differences in the head and neck positions when using a stretch pole probably do not affect the change in chest expansion after stretch pole use.
