RESUMO
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of shoulder postural impairments in 10-12 years old primary school students of Zahedan in 2005. One hundred-fifty three students participated in this descriptive study through multi-stage clustering sampling. The Level of shoulders [cm] and the rounded shoulders [cm] were measured using checkered board and board with red line in its center, respectively. Scapular symmetry [cm] was measured using Kibler test. The level of dominant shoulder was higher than non-dominant shoulder in 89.7% of right-handed students. Scapular asymmetry was not seen in zero [p = 0.42] and 90 [p = 0.3] degrees of shoulder abduction in dominant shoulders of the right handed students. Rounded shoulders were seen in 56.2% of students. Although, rounded shoulders was more common in 10 years old [in 61.6%] [p = 0.002]. Shoulder depression was seen in 61.3% of students that carrying shoulder bag [p = 0.028]. Present results showed that long term settling in abnormal posture with regard to flexibility of musculoskeletal system resulted in rounded shoulders. Also, carrying shoulder bag can lead to shoulder depression. The results support the effectiveness of proper postural and writing training for preventing shoulder postural impairments