Does the application of muscle energy technique (MET) on the scalene muscle improve pulmonary function in a symptomatic individual? A single case study.
Item
- Title
- Does the application of muscle energy technique (MET) on the scalene muscle improve pulmonary function in a symptomatic individual? A single case study.
- Author(s)
- Simmen Wittmann, S
- Abstract
- Background Dysfunctional breathing (DB) may co-exist or mimic asthma and remains often undiagnosed. It may affect the general population and up to 40% of elite-athletes. DB significantly exceeds moderate asthma regarding financial and health-related burden. The effectiveness of MET and its impact on accessory-muscle and thus lung function lacks high quality evidence. Objective lnvestigation of a potential MET effect administered to the anterior-scalene muscle on pulmonary function in a symptomatic individual. Design Single-case study with an ABAB design. Method Consenting, symptomatic students were approached and recruited if they were Caucasian, male, aged 25-50, asthmatic or presenting with asthmatic symptoms. The main exclusion criteria included respiratory conditions other than asthma, cardio-vascular- and spine conditions/trauma. Participant performed home spirometry. The MET was administered during interventionphase once a week to the anterior-scalene-muscle. Pre- and post-intervention spirometry-measurements were taken additionally (Pre/Post). Outcome measures included the lung-function-variables. Data was analysed vra statistical process control. Pre/Post-data and the mean-value-per-phase were chartered for visual analyses. Results A significant effect is suggested for the variables forced-vital-capacity (FVC), forced-expiratory-volume-in-the-first-second (FEV1), and the ratio of FEVl/FVC. Discussion The efficacy of MET and manualtherapy (MT) in the literature is controversial. Present results suggest significantly altered lung parameters. The additional Pre/Post-data is promrsrng however too small to draw conclusions. Participants results varied, potentially due to a lack of formal diagnoses and individual severity. Limited evidence is highlighted for supporting research. Several limitations were discussed and require further research. MT for the neck is shown to be more effective and less costly than physiotherapy and general-practitioner-care after 1 year.Conclusions The present study suggests a significant effect on lung-function parameters following an MET-intervention. Short-term effects show promising results which may be interesting regarding dysfunctional-breathing athletes and sports-performance. MET is safe, well tolerated and may potentially lower socio-economic costs. Further research is warranted to determine the effectiveness of MET on accessory muscles and its application in respiratory disease. lf proved to be effective the present intervention might be applied in conjunction with breathing retraining.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2017
- Date Submitted
- 4.12.2017 17:06:21
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16063
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Asthma, dysfunctional breathing, MET, spirometry
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Simmen Wittmann, S, “Does the application of muscle energy technique (MET) on the scalene muscle improve pulmonary function in a symptomatic individual? A single case study.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed April 23, 2025, https://library.wso.at/s/orw/item/473