Physical therapists have traditionally included various forms of manual therapy among the therapeutic approaches to spinal pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of diaphragmatic stretching on spine and thoracic movement in healthy adults.
Spinal pain is a well recognized condition associated with significant personal and community burdens. Recent studies estimated the prevalence between 6 and 22% in neck pain, from 4-72% in thoracic pain and from 1.0% to 58.1% in low back pain, which increases with age. During the last decades numerous researches have been conducted on stretching effects, evidencing an increased muscle control, flexibility and range of motion. The main purpose of this investigation is to examine the effects of diaphragm stretching in spine and thoracic mobility in healthy subjects in order to apply the results in a specifics pathologies in future studies.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
80
A manual technique of diaphragm stretching during 7 minutes. The participants were situated in a seated position.
Disconnected ultrasound was used for the 7 min as sham treatment
Faculty of Health Sciences. University of Granada.
Granada, Granada, Spain
Assessment of lumbar mobility
Schober test is a flexion trunk test to evaluate lumbar spine mobility. During this test, while the patient is in the standing position, marks are made in the midpoint between the posterior superior iliac spines (PSISs) and 10 cm superiorly to this point.
Time frame: up to 2 months
Assessment of trunk mobility
In Finger to floor test, the subjects were stood on a stool and asked to flex the trunk forward in order to reach as far as possible with both hands, without blending their knees.
Time frame: baseline, 2 months
Cervical mobility
A Baseline Bubble Inclinometer, Fabrication Enterprises Incorporated, New York. USA, was used to measure de active range of motion of the cervical spine. The measurements were performed in two planes of movement, lateral flexion (frontal plane) the right and left side; and flexion-extension (sagittal plane)
Time frame: baseline, 2 months.
Abdominal and Thoracic Dimensions and Kinematics
Abdominal and thoracic dimensions and kinematics measurements can be used as an evaluative method for diaphragmatic breathing excursion to quantify possible alterations in thoracic capacity and abdominal and chest wall compliance as achieved by all expiratory and inspiratory muscles
Time frame: baseline, 2 months.
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