Office WorkersNCT07815769
Rigid Taping's Effects on Posture and Balance in Office Workers
A study testing Rigid taping in people with Office Workers and Spinal Alignment, run by Pamukkale University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This study looks at whether applying a rigid tape to the upper back can immediately improve posture and balance in people who spend long hours sitting at a desk. Thirty office workers will have their head and neck position, spinal posture, and standing balance measured, then the tape will be applied to gently support… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 45 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Office Workers, Spinal Alignment, Balance Assessment
- What is being tested?
- Rigid taping
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 15 Sep 2026to 30 Oct 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 45 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- be an individual who works at least 6 hours a day at a desk
- not having had any musculoskeletal disorders or orthopedic surgery in the last 6 months
- not use any postural support
Who cannot join
- having been diagnosed with chronic pain or postural deformity in the lower back, upper back, or neck region
- having structural spinal disorders such as scoliosis, kyphosis, or lordosis
- having undergone physical therapy or manual therapy within the last 3 months
- having previously undergone rigid taping
- pregnancy
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Gaziantep University
Gaziantep, Şahinbey, 27000
Tuba MADEN, +90 531 934 02 49, tmaden@gantep.edu.tr
About this study
Official title: Acute Effects of Rigid Taping on Spinal Alignment, Tragus Angle, Balance in Office Workers: A Spinal Mouse Assessment
This study looks at whether applying a rigid tape to the upper back can immediately improve posture and balance in people who spend long hours sitting at a desk. Thirty office workers will have their head and neck position, spinal posture, and standing balance measured, then the tape will be applied to gently support the upper back and shoulders in a more upright position. The same measurements will be repeated 15 minutes later, while the tape is still in place. The tape is a flexible, skin-safe material commonly used in sports and physical therapy; it contains no medication and is not expected to cause discomfort or side effects. By comparing the measurements taken before and after taping, the researchers hope to learn whether this simple, non-invasive technique can produce an immediate improvement in head and spinal alignment and in balance control. This study looks only at short-term (acute) effects and does not test whether the benefits, if any, last beyond the taping session. The results may help patients and health care providers understand whether taping could serve as a quick, low-risk tool to support better posture during long periods of desk work.
Read the detailed description
Prolonged sitting and forward-leaning postures during desk-based office work are commonly associated with increased thoracic kyphosis, forward head posture, and reduced postural control. Rigid taping applied to the thoracic region has been proposed as a low-cost, non-invasive method to provide passive postural correction and proprioceptive feedback, but its immediate (acute) effects in office-working populations have not been fully characterized.
This study uses a single-group, pre-post (within-subject) design to evaluate the acute effects of rigid thoracic postural correction taping in office workers. Baseline assessments of craniovertebral alignment, sagittal spinal posture, and standing balance will be obtained, after which rigid tape will be applied by a trained examiner along a standardized pattern over the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning. All baseline measurements will be repeated after a 15-minute period with the tape in place, allowing evaluation of the immediate biomechanical response to the intervention.
The primary hypothesis is that rigid thoracic taping will acutely improve craniovertebral alignment and selected spinal alignment parameters, and may additionally improve dynamic balance. Findings are intended to inform whether rigid taping may serve as a practical, low-risk adjunct for immediate postural support in individuals with prolonged sedentary, desk-based occupational exposure.
- Conditions
- Office Workers, Spinal Alignment, Balance Assessment
- Being tested
- Rigid taping
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Rigid tapingOther
igid thoracic postural correction taping applied bilaterally by a trained examiner, starting from the anterior surface of the humerus and extending to the level of T12, to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid taping | Experimental | Participants in this single-arm study receive rigid thoracic postural correction taping applied by a trained examiner along a standardized pattern over the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning. Outcome measures (craniovertebral angle, spinal alignment, and standing balance) are assessed at baseline (pre-taping) and again after 15 minutes with the tape in place (post-taping), with each participant serving as their own control. Receives: Other: Rigid taping |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Craniovertebral (Tragus) Angle
Craniovertebral alignment will be assessed using the tragus angle, a validated proxy for forward head posture. An increase in the tragus angle indicates a more neutral (less forward) head position.
Measured: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application
Change in Sagittal Spinal Alignment
Spinal alignment will be assessed non-invasively using the SpinalMouse device in neutral standing, maximal flexion, and maximal extension postures, yielding segmental angles (sacral/hip, thoracic, lumbar, and inclination).
Measured: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application
Secondary outcomes (1)
Change in Static and Dynamic Postural Balance
Postural balance will be assessed using a force platform (ForcePlates) system, with center-of-pressure (COP) parameters including sway area, mean velocity, and displacement in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions.
Measured: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Sep 2026
- Study start15 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion15 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Oct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Office WorkersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Pamukkale UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- All enrolled participants receive the same intervention (rigid thoracic taping) and serve as their own controls, with outcome measures collected immediately before taping (baseline) and again 15 minutes after tape application (post-intervention), while the tape remains in place. No separate control or comparison group is used; within-subject pre-post differences constitute the primary analysis.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Pamukkale University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Erhan KIZMAZ, University of Gaziantep
- Investigators
- Erhan KIZMAZ, Principal investigator, University of Gaziantep
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07815769
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Rigid taping
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 11 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared, as the informed consent obtained from participants did not include provisions for third-party data sharing.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Acute Effects of Rigid Taping on Spinal Alignment, Tragus Angle, Balance in Office Workers: A Spinal Mouse Assessment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07815769
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Rigid taping
- Conditions
- Office Workers, Spinal Alignment, Balance Assessment
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Pamukkale UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 15 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 11 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study looks at whether applying a rigid tape to the upper back can immediately improve posture and balance in people who spend long hours sitting at a desk. Thirty office workers will have their head and neck position, spinal posture, and standing balance measured, then the tape will be applied to gently support the upper back and shoulders in a more upright position. The same measurements will be repeated 15 minutes later, while the tape is still in place. The tape is a flexible, skin-safe material commonly used in sports and physical therapy; it contains no medication and is not expected to cause discomfort or side effects. By comparing the measurements taken before and after taping, the researchers hope to learn whether this simple, non-invasive technique can produce an immediate improvement in head and spinal alignment and in balance control. This study looks only at short-term (acute) effects and does not test whether the benefits, if any, last beyond the taping session. The results may help patients and health care providers understand whether taping could serve as a quick, low-risk tool to support better posture during long periods of desk work.
Detailed description
Prolonged sitting and forward-leaning postures during desk-based office work are commonly associated with increased thoracic kyphosis, forward head posture, and reduced postural control. Rigid taping applied to the thoracic region has been proposed as a low-cost, non-invasive method to provide passive postural correction and proprioceptive feedback, but its immediate (acute) effects in office-working populations have not been fully characterized.
This study uses a single-group, pre-post (within-subject) design to evaluate the acute effects of rigid thoracic postural correction taping in office workers. Baseline assessments of craniovertebral alignment, sagittal spinal posture, and standing balance will be obtained, after which rigid tape will be applied by a trained examiner along a standardized pattern over the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning. All baseline measurements will be repeated after a 15-minute period with the tape in place, allowing evaluation of the immediate biomechanical response to the intervention.
The primary hypothesis is that rigid thoracic taping will acutely improve craniovertebral alignment and selected spinal alignment parameters, and may additionally improve dynamic balance. Findings are intended to inform whether rigid taping may serve as a practical, low-risk adjunct for immediate postural support in individuals with prolonged sedentary, desk-based occupational exposure.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- All enrolled participants receive the same intervention (rigid thoracic taping) and serve as their own controls, with outcome measures collected immediately before taping (baseline) and again 15 minutes after tape application (post-intervention), while the tape remains in place. No separate control or comparison group is used; within-subject pre-post differences constitute the primary analysis.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid taping | Experimental | Other: Rigid tapingParticipants in this single-arm study receive rigid thoracic postural correction taping applied by a trained examiner along a standardized pattern over the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning. Outcome measures (craniovertebral angle, spinal alignment, and standing balance) are assessed at baseline (pre-taping) and again after 15 minutes with the tape in place (post-taping), with each participant serving as their own control. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 45 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- be an individual who works at least 6 hours a day at a desk
- not having had any musculoskeletal disorders or orthopedic surgery in the last 6 months
- not use any postural support
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- having been diagnosed with chronic pain or postural deformity in the lower back, upper back, or neck region
- having structural spinal disorders such as scoliosis, kyphosis, or lordosis
- having undergone physical therapy or manual therapy within the last 3 months
- having previously undergone rigid taping
- pregnancy
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid tapingigid thoracic postural correction taping applied bilaterally by a trained examiner, starting from the anterior surface of the humerus and extending to the level of T12, to passively encourage scapular retraction, thoracic extension, and reduced forward head positioning | Other | Rigid taping |
Primary outcome
Change in Craniovertebral (Tragus) Angle
Time frame: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application
Craniovertebral alignment will be assessed using the tragus angle, a validated proxy for forward head posture. An increase in the tragus angle indicates a more neutral (less forward) head position.
Change in Sagittal Spinal Alignment
Time frame: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application
Spinal alignment will be assessed non-invasively using the SpinalMouse device in neutral standing, maximal flexion, and maximal extension postures, yielding segmental angles (sacral/hip, thoracic, lumbar, and inclination).
1 secondary outcome
Change in Static and Dynamic Postural Balance
Time frame: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data will not be shared, as the informed consent obtained from participants did not include provisions for third-party data sharing.
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Virtual Reality Exergaming During Work Breaks in Office Employees
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Erhan KIZMAZ principal investigator
University of Gaziantep
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Rigid taping in people with Office Workers and Spinal Alignment, run by Pamukkale University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Tuba MADEN, Association professor (+90 531 934 02 49, tmaden@gantep.edu.tr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Craniovertebral (Tragus) Angle (time frame: Baseline and 15 minutes after tape application). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Sep 2026.