Effect of manual diaphragmatic release on ventilatory function and functional capacity in elderly type 2 diabetic...

Elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often experience reduced ventilatory function and functional capacity, which negatively impact their quality of life (QoL), yet effective non-pharmacological interventions remain limited.

To determine the effect of manual diaphragmatic release (MDR) added to aerobic training (AT) on ventilatory function, functional capacity, and QoL, compared to AT alone in elderly women with T2DM.

Sixty elderly type 2 diabetic women were randomly assigned in equal numbers to either the MDR or control group. For 8 weeks, the MDR group received MDR in addition to AT, while the control group received AT alone. Outcomes included measures of forced vital capacity (FVC) and total lung capacity (TLC), 6 min walk test (6MWT), and Diabetic Quality of Life Questionnaire (DQoL). Between-group differences were analysed by ANCOVA.

At the end of the study, there were significant group effects for all outcome measures ( $p<0.05$ ). Adjusted between-group differences favoured the MDR group for FVC (mean $\text{difference}=3.17\%$ ; 95% CI: 1.07-5.27), TLC (mean $\text{difference}=2.28\%$ ; 95% CI: 1.22-3.33), 6MWT distance (mean $\text{difference}=22.58$ m; 95% CI: 10.17-34.99), and DQoL score (mean $\text{difference}=0.94$ ; 95% CI: 0.31-1.57).

Adding MDR to AT is more beneficial than AT only for enhancing ventilatory function, functional capacity and QoL in such elderly type 2 diabetic women. However, further studies with larger sample sizes and longer intervention durations are warranted to confirm these findings.