Effect of the trunk forward bending angle in sitting position on slow vital capacity.
Juncheol Lee, Dongwook Han
PMID 29643610WHAT IT FOUND
In college students, slow vital capacity was highest at a 15° forward trunk bend in the arm-bracing sitting position, compared with 0° or 30°.
Key findings
01Slow vital capacity was significantly different by trunk angle, and it was higher at 15° than at 0° and 30°.
02Expiratory reserve volume was higher at 15° than at 0° and 30°, while inspiratory reserve volume was higher at 0° than at 30°.
03Tidal volume and inspiratory capacity did not show a significant difference across the angles.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The participants were 18 college students with a mean age of 23.2 years, not patients with COPD or other respiratory disease. The authors state that, because the study was done in normal adults, it is difficult to apply the results to COPD patients. The study measured lung volumes, not breathlessness, function, or patient-reported outcomes. The paper does not report how the angle order was assigned or whether the testers were blinded, so order effects cannot be ruled out. Only 0°, 15°, and 30° were tested, and angles over 30° were not used because deep breathing was difficult.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this to set a forward bend angle for patients with COPD. The study measured college students, and the authors state the results are difficult to apply to COPD patients.