Fig. 1.
Participant characteristics
| Group A | Group B | Group C | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | ||
| Age (years) | 34.65 ± 2.87 | 35.25 ± 2.99 | 35.85 ± 2.70 | 0.42 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.70 ± 1.53 | 26.05 ± 1.67 | 26.10 ± 1.71 | 0.38 |
| Sex, n (%) | ||||
| Female | 13 (65%) | 11 (55%) | 10 (50%) | 0.62 |
| Male | 7 (35%) | 9 (45%) | 10 (50%) |
Mean FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and MVV pre-treatment and post-treatment
| Groups A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | |||
| Forced vital capacity (FVC; L) | |||
| Pre-treatment treatment | 3.59 ± 0.64 | 3.68 ± 0.53 | 3.47 ± 0.55 |
| Post-treatment treatment | 3.72 ± 0.65 | 4.79 ± 0.62 | 4.21 ± 0.59 |
| MD (% of change) | −0.13 (3.62%) | −1.11 (30.16%) | −0.74 (21.33%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
| Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1; L) | |||
| Pre-treatment treatment | 2.81 ± 0.49 | 2.83 ± 0.39 | 2.68 ± 0.43 |
| Post -treatment | 2.97 ± 0.50 | 3.87 ± 0.48 | 3.41 ± 0.49 |
| MD (% of change) | −0.16 (5.69%) | −1.04 (36.75%) | −0.73 (27.24%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | |||
| Pre-treatment | 78.21 ± 2.37 | 76.96 ± 2.06 | 77.20 ± 2.15 |
| Post -treatment | 80.07 ± 2.15 | 80.98 ± 1.80 | 80.93 ± 2.14 |
| MD (% of change) | −1.86 (2.38%) | −4.02 (5.22%) | −3.73 (4.83%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
| Maximum voluntary ventilation (L/min) | |||
| Pre-treatment | 103.10 ± 4.15 | 105.20 ± 5.58 | 104.25 ± 4.94 |
| Post -treatment | 109.80 ± 5.28 | 119.55 ± 4.72 | 114.75 ± 6.69 |
| MD (% of change) | −6.70 (6.5%) | −14.35 (13.64%) | −10.5 (10.07%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
Mean CVA, VAS, and NDI pre-treatment and post-treatment
| Groups A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | |||
| Craniovertebral angle (degrees) | |||
| Pre-treatment | 45.45 ± 0.88 | 45.05 ± 0.76 | 45.30 ± 1.08 |
| Post-treatment | 50.05 ± 0.83 | 51.70 ± 1.08 | 50.90 ± 0.79 |
| MD (% of change) | −4.60 (10.12%) | −6.65 (14.76%) | −5.60 (12.36%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
| Visual analog scale | |||
| Pre-treatment | 7.45 ± 1.28 | 7.55 ± 1.23 | 7.10 ± 1.29 |
| Post-treatment | 3.80 ± 1.06 | 3.05 ± 0.83 | 2.30 ± 0.80 |
| MD (% of change) | 3.65 (48.99%) | 4.5 (59.60%) | 4.80 (67.61%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
| Neck disability index (%) | |||
| Pre-treatment | 42.40 ± 2.48 | 42.55 ± 2.87 | 42.85 ± 3.18 |
| Post-treatment | 30.90 ± 2.65 | 27.85 ± 2.70 | 24.95 ± 4.43 |
| MD (% of change) | 11.50 (27.12%) | 14.70 (34.55%) | 17.90 (41.77%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
Mean upper and lower chest expansion pre-and post-treatment
| Chest expansion (cm) | Groups A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | |||
| Upper chest expansion | |||
| Pre-treatment | 2.61 ± 0.47 | 2.82 ± 0.37 | 2.67 ± 0.49 |
| Post-treatment | 3.41 ± 0.45 | 4.17 ± 0.51 | 3.79 ± 0.38 |
| MD (% of change) | −0.80 (30.65%) | −1.35 (47.87%) | −1.12 (41.95%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
| Lower chest expansion | |||
| Pre-treatment | 2.48 ± 0.47 | 2.50 ± 0.37 | 2.40 ± 0.49 |
| Post-treatment | 2.76 ± 0.46 | 3.90 ± 0.53 | 3.37 ± 0.41 |
| MD (% of change) | −0.28 (11.29%) | −1.40 (56%) | −0.97 (40.42%) |
| p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | p = 0.001 | |
Comparison between group A, B and C post-treatment
| Outcome | Group A vs B | Group A vs C | Group B vs C | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD | p value | Effect size | MD | p value | Effect size | MD | p value | Effect size | |
| (FVC; L) | −1.07 | 0.001 | 1.68 | −0.49 | 0.03 | 0.79 | 0.58 | 0.01 | 0.96 |
| (FEV1; L) | −0.9 | 0.001 | 1.84 | −0.44 | 0.02 | 0.89 | 0.46 | 0.01 | 0.95 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | −0.91 | 0.34 | 0.46 | −0.86 | 0.38 | 0.40 | 0.05 | 0.99 | 0.03 |
| MVV (L/min) | −9.75 | 0.001 | 1.95 | −4.95 | 0.02 | 0.82 | 4.8 | 0.02 | 0.83 |
| CVA (degrees) | −1.65 | 0.001 | 1.7 | −0.85 | 0.01 | 1.05 | 0.8 | 0.01 | 0.85 |
| VAS | 0.75 | 0.02 | 0.79 | 0.001 | 1.6 | 0.75 | 0.02 | 0.92 | |
| NDI (%) | 3.05 | 0.01 | 1.14 | 5.95 | 0.001 | 1.63 | 2.9 | 0.02 | 0.79 |
| Upper chest expansion (cm) | −0.76 | 0.001 | 1.58 | −0.38 | 0.02 | 0.91 | 0.38 | 0.02 | 0.84 |
| Lower expansion (cm) | −1.14 | 0.001 | 2.30 | −0.61 | 0.001 | 1.40 | 0.53 | 0.002 | 1.12 |