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Passive Stretching Intervention for Upper Back Muscle Imbalance: A Focus on the Rhomboid Muscle in Adults

Journal of Physical Education Health and Sport · Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025) · pp. 93–98

DOI
10.15294/jpehs.v12i1.29189
ISSN
2354-7901, 2354-8231
Published
2025-07-18
Publisher
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language
eng

Abstract

Adults are increasingly experiencing upper back muscle imbalances, particularly rhomboid muscle tightness, often due to prolonged sitting and poor posture. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single passive stretching session in relieving rhomboid muscle tightness in adults. A one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed using pre-existing data from Klinik Satu Sehat Semarang, which included 13 adults aged 18 to 59 years. Each participant underwent a single passive stretching session, and measurements of shoulder movement and muscle tightness were taken before and after using a goniometer and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). A paired t-test revealed a statistically significant reduction in muscle tightness (p = 0.004), with an average decrease of two VAS points. Additionally, shoulder retraction range of motion increased by an average of 6 degrees (p = 0.001). Passive stretching of the rhomboid muscle effectively improves shoulder mobility and reduces upper back stiffness in adults within a single session, making it a practical method for addressing muscle problems caused by poor posture and applicable in rehabilitation and prevention programs.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

32 authors · 138 co-authorship links

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  • University of Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
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Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Dicky Budhi SetyawanAffiliation unknown4
Fajar Awang IrawanAffiliation unknown3
Safina AzzahraAffiliation unknown3
Primawati SucianiAffiliation unknown3
InayatunAffiliation unknown3
Dhias Fajar Widya PermanaAffiliation unknown3
Agil Kusuma WardhanaAffiliation unknown2
Revi Meyrdiansyah FatmaAffiliation unknown2
Intan Septi KartikaAffiliation unknown2
Sugiarto SugiartoUniversity of Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur1
Anies SetiowatiAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad Azzam AyyasyAffiliation unknown1
Sri SurmartiningsihAffiliation unknown1
Ai Sumirah SetiawatiAffiliation unknown1
Wanda Kusuma PutriAffiliation unknown1
Romayuli PardedeAffiliation unknown1
Nonik RahestiAffiliation unknown1
Ulfatul Azizah AwaliyyahAffiliation unknown1
Devina LutfianiAffiliation unknown1
SugiartoAffiliation unknown1
Puput EdiyarsariAffiliation unknown1
Khoiril AnamAffiliation unknown1
Febry Putra RochimAffiliation unknown1
Safira Chairani DimartiAffiliation unknown1
Ayu Nur HidayahAffiliation unknown1
Ahmad Fa'iq Arsyad FahrezaAffiliation unknown1
Dewi PuspitasariAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jpehs/oai, first harvested 6 Nov 2026, last seen 6 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Passive Stretching Intervention for Upper Back Muscle Imbalance: A Focus on the Rhomboid Muscle in Adults</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Sandhya Kresnajati</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Riki Edo Saputro</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Aziz Amrulloh</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">M Syahrul Muafi</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Dicky Budhi Setiawan</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Passive Stretching; Rhomboid Muscle Tightness; Shoulder Range of Motion</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">Adults are increasingly experiencing upper back muscle imbalances, particularly rhomboid muscle tightness, often due to prolonged sitting and poor posture. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single passive stretching session in relieving rhomboid muscle tightness in adults. A one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed using pre-existing data from Klinik Satu Sehat Semarang, which included 13 adults aged 18 to 59 years. Each participant underwent a single passive stretching session, and measurements of shoulder movement and muscle tightness were taken before and after using a goniometer and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). A paired t-test revealed a statistically significant reduction in muscle tightness (p = 0.004), with an average decrease of two VAS points. Additionally, shoulder retraction range of motion increased by an average of 6 degrees (p = 0.001).  Passive stretching of the rhomboid muscle effectively improves shoulder mobility and reduces upper back stiffness in adults within a single session, making it a practical method for addressing muscle problems caused by poor posture and applicable in rehabilitation and prevention programs. </dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-07-18</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jpehs/article/view/29189</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/jpehs.v12i1.29189</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Journal of Physical Education Health and Sport; Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025); 93 - 98</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2354-7901</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2354-8231</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/jpehs.v12i1</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jpehs/article/view/29189/4983</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Physical Education Health and Sport</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>