Adding Ujjayi Pranayama to osteopathic manipulative treatment on pulmonary functions and functional capacity in college students with upper cross syndrome

Background: Ujjayi pranayama and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) both enhance respiratory function and musculoskeletal alignment. For individuals with Upper Cross Syndrome these methods can have a significant impact. Objective: to investigate how much does adding Ujjayi Pranayama into osteopathic manipulation (OM) on pulmonary functions and functional capacity in college students diagnosed with upper cross syndrome (UCS). Methods: Two-armed, parallel-group RCT with concealed allocation and blinded assessment of outcomes conducted on forty participants with UCS randomly divided into two groups. Ujjayi pranayama and OM administered to the experimental group while the control group received only osteopathic manipulation. Both groups was undergo 45-minute sessions, five times a week for eight weeks. We measured ERV, PEF, MVV and IC by portable spirometer. Results: Adding ujjayi pranayama to OM showed significant greater improvements in PEF (MD change was 0.76±0.07 L/s vs. 0.49±0.09 L/s in control (p=0.025)), ERV (MD change 0.29±0.06 L vs. 0.08±0.01 L in control (p=0.002)), 6-Minute Walk Distance Test (6 MWDT) ( MD change23.60±2.05 meters vs. 14.70±1.54 meters in control (p=0.001), TUG (MD change was -2.20±0.20 sec vs. -1.15±0.11 sec in control (p=0.001). Some parameters showed no statistically significant differences in changes between groups: MVV: Difference and % change was not significant (p=0.250 and p=0.461). IC: Borderline difference in mean change (p=0.058) but % change was not significant (p=0.201). Conclusion: Ujjayi pranayama to OM resulted in superior improvements in both respiratory functions in upper cross syndrome, rather than osteopathy alone.