PNF and Movement 2024; 22(1): 1-11
https://doi.org/10.21598/JKPNFA.2024.22.1.1
Development of an Automatic Measuring Program for the Craniovertebral Angle Using Photographic Image
Soo-Young Ye, Ph.D.1⋅Jong-Soon Kim, P.T., Ph.D.2†
1Department of Radiological Science, College of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Pusan
2Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Pusan
Correspondence to: †Jong-Soon Kim (ptjskim@cup.ac.kr)
Received: January 19, 2024; Revised: February 15, 2024; Accepted: February 23, 2024; Published online: April 30, 2024.
© Korea Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Association. All rights reserved.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Purpose: The prevalent use of mobile devices may contribute to musculoskeletal disorders, such as forward head posture (FHP), among users. The measurement of the craniovertebral angle (CVA) using photographic images is frequently employed in assessing FHP. Although manual CVA measurement using photographic images is reliable in clinical settings, computer programs or mobile applications to support tele-physical therapy are not yet fully developed. Therefore, in the current study, we propose an automatic method for extracting CVA from photographic images of FHP subjects to facilitate tele-physical therapy.
Methods: To develop the automatic CVA measuring computer program, photographic images were obtained from 10 FHP participants. The location information obtained from the markers attached to the tragus and the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra were used as coordinates. Using these coordinates, straight line 1 was generated by connecting the seventh spinous process of the cervical vertebra and the tragus, while straight line 2 was drawn parallel to the coordinate obtained from the seventh spinous process of the cervical vertebra. The arc tangent function was used to calculate the angle between the two straight lines. The automatic CVA measurement computer program utilizing photographic images was developed using MATLAB (ver. 2016b).
Results: The results showed that the automatic CVA measurement computer program demonstrated stable repeatability and high accuracy.
Conclusion: The proposed approach was able to automatically estimate the CVA using photographic images. The developed computer program can potentially be used for easier and more reliable clinical assessment of FHP.
Keywords: Automatic measuring computer program, Craniovertebral Angle, Forward head posture

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