Diaphragm Stretching Increases Spine and Thoracic Mobility

Diaphragm Stretching Technique Increases Spine Mobility and Thoracic Movement: a Randomized Controlled Trial

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.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy subjects
• Age: between 18 and 65 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pathological subjects