Background: In previous studies, changes in postural alignment were found when the slope was changed during walking. Downhill walking straightens the trunk by shifting the line of gravity backward. Objects: This study investigated the effect of the downhill treadmill walking exercise (DTWE) on thoracic angle and thoracic erector spinae (TES) activation in subjects with thoracic kyphosis. Methods: A total of 20 subjects with thoracic kyphosis were recruited for this study. All the subjects performed the DTWE for 30 minutes. A surface EMG and 3D motion capture system were used to measure TES activation and thoracic angle before and after the DTWE. Paired t-tests were used to confirm the effect of the DTWE (p<.05). Results: Both the thoracic angle and TES activation had significantly increased after the DTWE compared to the baseline (p<.05). An increase in the thoracic angle indicates a decrease in kyphosis. Conclusion: The DTWE is effective for thoracic kyphosis patients as it decreases their kyphotic posture and increases the TES activation. Future longitudinal studies are required to investigate the long-term effects of the DTWE.

The purpose of this article was to investigate the effects of Maitland’s transverse movement on change of pain, trunk flexion movement and Cobb’s angle in patient with upper thoracic scoliosis. The subject are 37 years old with chronic low back pain participated in this study and has no experience surgery within the last six months due to back pain. 10 set was applied 10 times on the T3-T5 applied the transverse movement with grade Ⅳ to each segment by skilled physical therapist. Transverse movement was applied convex toward the concave side. Pressure pain threshold was reduced from 4/10 to 2/10. Trunk flexion range that is the distance between the middle finger and floor was increase from 7.3cm to 2cm. Cobb’s angle was decreased from degree 18 to 16. This result demonstrated that the Maitland’s transverse movement was benefit to reduce the pain and Cobb’s angle, and to increase the trunk flexion movement.