Purpose : Human respiration is closely related to the expansion of the rib cage. This movement of the rib cage is directly influenced by the respiratory muscles attached to it. It is known that postural abnormalities, such as forward head posture or ...
Purpose : Human respiration is closely related to the expansion of the rib cage. This movement of the rib cage is directly influenced by the respiratory muscles attached to it. It is known that postural abnormalities, such as forward head posture or increased thoracic kyphosis, can restrict rib cage expansion and negatively impact respiratory function. Stretching techniques are widely used to address joint range of motion limitations caused by muscle shortening, scar tissue, and hypomobility, However, research examining the effects of applying stretching techniques to muscles and joints related to respiration on posture or pulmonary function is severely lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of the Evians-Hamberg stretching technique, which is known to be very effective in improving muscle lengthening and joint movement, on the thoracic kyphosis angle(TKA), craniovertebral angle(CVA), rib cage movement(RCM), diaphragmatic movement (DM), and slow vital capacity (SVC) when applied to the T4-T8 vertebrae.
Methods : The subjects of this study were 30 healthy adult males enrolled in S University in Busan, South Korea. Before starting the experiment, all subjects were provided with a sufficient explanation of the study, and voluntary written consent for participation was obtained from all subjects. First, the study subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group, with 15 people each. Before the intervention, the subjects' thoracic kyphosis angle, craniovertebral angle, rib cage movement, diaphragmatic movement and slow vital capacity were measured. Subsequently, the Evian-Hamburg stretching technique was performed on the experimental group, and self-stretching exercise on the spine was performed on the control group. Following the intervention, thoracic kyphosis angle, craniovertebral angle, rib cage movement, diaphragmatic movement and slow vital capacity were remeasured using the same methods as before the experiment. Using the measurements, an independent t-test was first conducted to confirm homogeneity between the two groups, and then a paired t-test was performed to determine changes before and after intervention in each group. was carried out, After implementation, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA Test) was performed to determine the difference in the amount of change in the control group. The statistical program used for analysis was SPSSWIN(ver 29.0), and the significance level was set at α=0.05.
Result : The results of examining the effects of the Evjenth-Hamberg stretching technique on the thoracic kyphosis angle, craniovertebral angle, rib cage movement, diaphragmatic movement and slow vital capacity were as follows. First, looking at the changes in vertebral angles, there was no statistically significant change in thoracic kyphosis angle in both the experimental and control groups. Looking at the changes in cervical angles, after the intervention, the craniovertebral angle(p<0.05) increased in the experimental group. On the other hand, there was no change in craniovertebral angle in the control group. Looking at the movement of the rib cage, after the intervention, the expandability of the upper rib cage(p<0.05) and lower rib cage(p<0.05) increased in the experimental group. On the other hand, there was no change in rib cage movement in the control group. Looking at changes in diaphragmatic movement, there was no statistically significant change in diaphragmatic movement in both the experimental and control groups. Looking at the change in slow vital capacity(SVC) there was no statistically significant change in slow vital capacity in both the experimental and control groups.
Conclusion : The results of this study showed that the Evjenth-Hamberg stretching technique for the T4–T8 vertebrae was effective in improving cervical vertebral angles and increasing rib cage expansion. Therefore, it may be necessary to include the Evjenth-Hamberg stretching technique in exercise programs to improve forward head posture and rib cage movement.