Comparison of the thoracic kyphosis and diaphragm thickness between women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and healthy individuals

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes shallow breathing, low oxygen, muscular weakness and reduced mobility. The most common symptoms of COPD is shortness of breath and a chronic cough with sputum. Despite the high prevalence of this disease and effective role of physical therapy, there is a noticeable lack of research in this area. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the degree of thoracic kyphosis and diaphragm muscle thickness between females with COPD and healthy women. In this study, 20 women with COPD (stages 2 and 3) and 20 healthy women were examined regarding some biomechanical and physiological parameters. Diaphragm thickness was determined using ultrasound and kyphosis angle was measured by flexible ruler. Kyphosis in healthy subject was less than healthy individuals (p<0.05). The diaphragm muscle thickness was not significantly difference between the two groups. But the diaphragm thickness changes in healthy individuals was about 2 times more than patients with COPD (p<0.05). The resean for lower kyphosis angle in COPD patients could be due to their shape of chest. It also increases the percentage of diaphragm thickness change in healthy individuals (as compared to COPD) that shows their better diaphragm performance. Perhaps, short deep breath and intervals of breathing in patients are the result of this effect. These results can be considered for description of the treatment protocol of physiotherapy in patients with COPD.