The Immediate Effects of the Manual Therapy Traction Manipulations on Parameters of Cardiorespiratory System Functioning

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the changes in the cardiorespiratory system activity under the influence of traction manipulations in the thoracic spine. The study involved 26 adults, including 18 women aged 39.6 ± 12.1 years and 8 men aged 36.3 ± 8.3 years. The mean age of patients was 38.6 ± 11.2 years. The work used an integral method of studying the cardiorespiratory system - spiroarteriocardiorhythmography (SAKR). SACR registration was performed before and after traction manipulations in the thoracic spine directly in the procedure of manual therapy. The study of the immediate effect of traction manipulations of SMT in the thoracic spine on the cardiorespiratory system allowed establishing the main significant effects: decrease in HR (min^-1) from 85.1 (77.1; 94.2) to 79.5 (69.8; 87.6), p=0.000, decrease in duration of QTC (s) from 0.419 (0.404; 0.434) to 0.413 (0.401; 0.427), p=0.012, decrease in CO (dm³) from 5.2 (4.6; 5.8) to 4.9 (4.4; 5.6), p=0.000, SI (dm³/m²) from 3.05 (2.75; 3.30) to 2.90 (2.62; 3.20), p=0.000, increase in Vexp (L/s) from 0.28 (0.22; 0.34) to 0.31 (0.25; 0.39), p=0.030. The obtained data suggest that the main effects of traction manipulations on the thoracic spine are associated more with the changes in hemodynamic parameters of blood circulation due to activation of expiratory muscles and chest mobility, when the suction mechanisms of the chest and cardiovascular function of diaphragm are activated.