In 2007, a randomized control trial, researchers investigated the impact of integrating manual therapy with exercise on the respiratory function of healthy individuals. Led by Roger M Engel and Subramanyam Vemulpad, the study aimed to shed light on the potential synergistic effects of these interventions.

The study involved 20 nonsmoking individuals, aged 18 to 28 years, who were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a control group and three intervention groups. Each participant underwent a series of interventions over four weeks, with measurements of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) taken before and after the interventions.

The results unveiled intriguing findings. Firstly, the group subjected to exercise only exhibited a significant decrease in both FVC and FEV1 readings. Conversely, participants who received manual therapy alone demonstrated a notable increase in FVC and FEV1. Most notably, those who underwent both manual therapy and exercise experienced initial improvements in FVC and FEV1 following manual therapy, with additional enhancements observed after subsequent exercise. Although the overall increase in this combined group was not statistically significant, the trend towards improvement warrants attention.

Importantly, participants in the control group displayed no significant changes in FVC or FEV1 throughout the study period.

These findings suggest that manual therapy holds promise in augmenting respiratory function among healthy individuals. Furthermore, the potential for manual therapy to enhance tolerance within the respiratory system, thus enabling extended exercise programs, merits further exploration and discussion.

In summary, this study underscores the potential benefits of integrating manual therapy with exercise in enhancing respiratory function, paving the way for future research in this promising area of study.

Reference: Engel, R. M., & Vemulpad, S. (2007). The effect of combining manual therapy with exercise on the respiratory function of normal individuals: a randomized control trial. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 30(7), 509-513.