Effects of diaphragmatic breathing and manual diaphragm relaxation on respiratory muscle strength, chest expansion, pulmonary function, and sitting ability in children with diplegic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial.
Berna Karamancıoğlu, Özge Keniş Coşkun, Ela Erdem-Eralp and 2 others
PMID 41664476WHAT IT FOUND
Adding diaphragmatic breathing and manual relaxation to standard physiotherapy significantly improved inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength and lower chest expansion in children with diplegic cerebral palsy.
There were no additional benefits for lung function or sitting ability compared to standard therapy alone.
Key findings
01The intervention group showed significantly greater improvements in maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) compared to the control group, with large effect sizes.
02Chest expansion improved significantly more in the intervention group at the epigastric and subcostal levels compared to the control group.
03There were no significant differences between the groups in pulmonary function tests or sitting ability scores after the intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (15 participants), limiting the generalizability of the findings. The study was single-blind, and participants knew which treatment they received. There was a one-participant dropout in the intervention group due to poor attendance. The short duration (8 weeks) means long-term effects and retention are unknown. Baseline functional levels and gender distribution differed slightly between groups, which may have influenced outcomes. The study did not assess clinical respiratory events like pneumonia or hospitalization rates.
Declared interests
The paper states the study was approved by the Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Clinical Research Ethics Committee. No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations are provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this intervention improves overall lung capacity or functional sitting ability. The study found significant gains only in respiratory muscle strength and specific chest expansion measurements; pulmonary function tests and GMFM-B scores showed no significant difference between the treatment and control groups.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →