Changes in pulmonary function following thoracic spine manipulation in a healthy inactive older adult population-a pilot study.
Holly Jonely, Dhinu Jayaseelan, Ellen Costello and 4 others
PMID 37405180WHAT IT FOUND
Thoracic spine manipulation did not improve breathing measures more than sham in inactive older adults.
Maximal voluntary ventilation rose after repeated manipulation sessions, but the small pilot cannot show the treatment works.
Key findings
01No outcome measure differed significantly between the manipulation and sham groups, and no interaction effects were significant.
02In the manipulation group, maximal voluntary ventilation rose from 98.1 to 107.7 L.min−1 between session one and session three (p<0.05, d=0.71).
03In the sham group, thoracic excursion during exhalation changed from 101.1 to 99.9 cm after session one (p<0.05, d=0.57).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, so the study was underpowered and cannot support broad conclusions. Participants were healthy and inactive older adults, not people with lung disease. The sham procedure involved movement, breathing, and investigator touch, and the authors say it may have had unknown beneficial effects. Significant changes were within-group only; between-group comparisons were null.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by a research award from Orthopedic Physical Therapy Products, and the authors declared no other financial interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude thoracic manipulation improves pulmonary function because a within-group measure rose after repeated sessions. The manipulation and sham groups did not differ on any outcome, and the study was a small pilot, so this finding is not evidence of effectiveness.