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The
Effect of Combining Manual Therapy with Exercise on the Respiratory
Function of Normal Individuals:
A Randomized Control Trial
Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the
effect of combining manual therapy with exercise on respiratory
function in normal individuals.
Methods: The study design was a randomized control trial.
Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the
first second (FEV1) were measured in
20 healthy, nonsmoking individuals before and after 3 interventions:
exercise only, chiropractic manual therapy only, and manual therapy
followed by exercise. The participants, 18 to 28 years of age, were
randomly allocated to a control and 3 intervention groups. Each
participant underwent 6 sessions of interventions over
a 4-week period.
Results: The exercise only group showed a significant decrease
in FVC (P = .002, generalized linear model [GLM]) and FEV1 readings
(P = .0002, GLM). The manual therapy only group showed a significant
increase in FVC (P = .000, GLM) and FEV1 (P = .001, GLM). The group
that received both manual therapy and exercise showed increases
in FVC and FEV1 immediately after manual therapy followed by
an additional increase after exercise. The overall increase in this
group was not statistically significant. Participants in the control
group showed no change in
FVC or FEV1.
Conclusions: Manual therapy appears to increase the respiratory
function of normal individuals. The potential for this intervention
administered before exercise to permit additional tolerance within
the respiratory system that could allow an extended exercise program
than was previously possible is discussed.
Source: Engel RM, Vemulpad S. Journal of Manipulative and
Physiological Therapeutics. September 2007; Vol. 30, Iss. 7
Nearly
40 million Americans--that's 25% of the total population--suffer
from asthma and other allergy diseases. In an asthma attack, children
and adults respond similarly, with severe congestion, swelling,
and other allergic type reactions in response to various irritants.
As the reaction progresses, breathing becomes
more difficult and in some cases life-threat ening. The bronchioles
swell with mucous and go into spasm. This closes the airways and
causes the asthmatic to wheeze and gasp for air.
The problem
Although the traditional methods for controlling asthma and
allergies are numerous, sickness and death from asthma appear to be increasing. As stated in The New England Journal of Medicine in February of 1992, this trend is at least partially due to side effects from regular
use of asthma inhaled medications.
A new approach
In a recent study, children with asthma showed an overall
improvement in the lung capacity after only 15 chiropractic adjustments." Other findings documenting abnormal spinal mechanics associated with asthma were preformed by the famous osteopathic researcher Alan
Stoddard. Stoddard stated that many diseases are due to mechanical lesions (vertebral subluxations). There is ample research documenting the intimate connection between the spinal column, the nervous system, and the
respiratory system. Vertebral subluxations in the neck and upper back can produce associated muscles spasms, which cause a restriction and stasis of the lymphatic drainage from the head and neck. As a result, the
body is unable to wash out the bacteria, debris, and foreign material to which it is exposed. As this vital process is slowed, the phagocytic activity within the lymphatic chain (drainage of waste, bacteria, etc.)
is interrupted, and invasion of the offending bacteria multiplies. Chiropractic adjustments in many cases will produce immediate relaxation of the neck musculature responsible for obstructing the lymphatic (neck)
drainage.
These adjustments improve respiratory function by restoring normal
nerve function,
which in turn may result in symptomatic improvement in bronchitis and In several studies researchers found spinal adjustments to induce respiratory function and chest mobility superior to that produced through
conventional medical bronchodilators, expectorants, and corticosteroids. Various symptoms of abnormal respiratory function may improve clinically with chiropractic adjustments.
Nerve control
The primary muscle for breathing is the diaphragm. It is actually
composed of two muscles, the left and right hemidiaphragms, which separate the chest and abdominal cavities. The phrenic nerve (C3, C4, CS - neck nerves) powers the diaphragm. If the nerve supply is interfered with,
such as in a subluxation in the neck, the diaphragm weakens and breathing becomes impaired. Additional muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, scalene, and pectorals, operate to assist the diaphragm
during a period of increased breathing effort, such as during exercise or severe respiratory illness. All of these muscles must have nerve supply to work. Subluxations interfering with normal nerve supply can cause
muscular imbalances leading to a weaker respiratory tract. Restoring nerve supply by correcting vertebral subluxations not only improves muscle tone, but actually aids in overall body function, especially in the
immune response.
Chiropractic is safe and natural.
The chiropractic approach to health care is
natural. It does not try to stimulate or inhibit normal body function. Instead, the chiropractor addresses the important role of the nervous system in the healing process. The results can be dramatic, as in a 1989
Danish study of 115 families with children ages 0 to 7 years suffering from asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy. One third of the children underwent chiropractic adjustments, after which 93 percent of the parents
surveyed reported improvement in their child's asthma condition.
Many childhood illnesses may be manifested in the child and adult due to abnormal body
function caused by subluxations. In light of this, your chiropractor may be the best doctor to help your child improve his/her health.
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