IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF MANUAL THERAPY ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS AND RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH IN STROKE PATIENTS

Purpose: Although the benefits of manual therapy (MT) are known, studies on its effect on stroke patients are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immediate effects of MT on respiratory function and respiratory muscle strength in stroke patients. Methods: A total of forty-seven patients, comprising 33 men and 14 women, were enrolled in the study and then randomly assigned to either the MT group (n=31) or the control group (n=16). All participants meet with initial pulmonary function and respiratory muscle testing and then rested supine for 10 minutes before the procedure. The respiratory tests were repeated immediately after the procedure. Tests included: maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, and peak expiratory flow (PEF). Results: In intra-group comparisons, a significant improvement was observed in all measured parameters in the MT group (p<0.05), while no significant change was observed in the control group except FEV1 and FEV1/FVC values (p>0.05). In comparisons between groups, a statistically significant difference was found in FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEF and MEP values(p<0,05) Conclusions: This study demonstrated that manual therapy had a immediate positive effect on lung function and respiratory muscle strength in stroke patients.