Respiratory and functional benefits of manual diaphragmatic release for cleaning-laborers exposed to occupational hazards

Background and purpose: To examine the respiratory and functional benefits of manual diaphragmatic release for Cleaning-Laborers Exposed to Occupational Hazards.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial of 36 participants aged 35-45 years was randomly allocated into two groups. The experimental group (n = 18); received manual diaphragm release along with respiratory training exercises, and the control group (n = 18); received respiratory training exercises only. Three times/week for 12 consecutive weeks. The serum immunoglobulin E level, pulmonary functions [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV₁/FVC, and peak expiratory flow (PEF) rate (PEF)], chest wall mobility, and 6 min walk-test performance were assessed pre- and post-intervention.

Results: There was a greater decline in serum immunoglobulin levels (p = 0.003; Partial η² = 0.23) and enhancement in pulmonary functions [FEV₁ (p = 0.025, Partial η2 = 0.14), FVC (p = 0.017, Partial η² = 0.16), FEV₁/FVC (p = 0.028, Partial η² = 0.13), and PEF (p = 0.012, Partial η2 = 0.17) in the experimental group. Further, there was a greater increase in chest mobility at the xiphoid level (p = 0.002, Partial η² = 0.25) in the experimental group, but this was not the case at the axillary level (p = 0.29, Partial η² = 0.03). Still, the 6 min walk-test performance improved more significantly in the experimental group (p = 0.002, Partial η² = 0.24).

Conclusion: The diaphragmatic release technique may offer a promising approach for mitigating distressing respiratory symptoms, enhancing immune function, and improving 6 min walk-test performance among cleaning laborers with work-related respiratory hazards.

Trial registration: The study was retrospectively registered at XXX (ID: NCT05802355).