Investigation of the relationship between physical activity level with neck-shoulder posture and muscle stiffness in pregnant women

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between physical activity level, neck-shoulder posture, and muscle stiffness in pregnant women. A total of 41 pregnant women with a mean age of 28.66 ± 3.14 years who applied to the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinic of a private hospital in Gaziantep were included in the study. Physical activity levels of the participants were assessed using the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ), neck-shoulder postures were evaluated using the PostureScreen mobile application, and muscle stiffness was measured with the MyotonPro device. The data obtained were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 software. According to the findings, 2 participants (4.9%) were in the first trimester, 11 (26.8%) in the second trimester, and 28 (68.3%) in the third trimester. Based on physical activity levels, 21 participants (51.2%) were categorized as having a low level of physical activity, while 20 (48.8%) were in the moderate level group. Statistical analysis revealed no significant relationship between physical activity levels and neck-shoulder posture or muscle stiffness measurements (p > 0.05). The results revealed that the level of physical activity during pregnancy does not have a significant effect on posture or muscle stiffness. This study is expected to provide a methodological foundation for future advanced research and contribute to the existing literature in the field.