The Effect of 8 Weeks Specific Aquatic Therapy on Kyphosis Angle and some Pulmonary Indices in Male University Students with Kyphosis

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 8 weeks specific aquatic therapy on kyphosis angle and some pulmonary indices in male university students with kyphosis. A total of 15 males with increased normal thoracic Kyphosis (kyphosis ≤40 degrees, 20.70 ± 0.705 years old, height 175.5 ± 6.19 cm, weight 64.19 ± 8.23 kg) were selected. Before and after aquatic therapy, the angle of kyphosis was measured by using flexible ruler as a noninvasive and reliable method. Pulmonary indices such as force vital capacity (FVC), force expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), peak inspiratory flow (PIF) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were measured by digital spirometry. Pre-test and post-test results were compared using t-test. Kyphosis angle, FVC, MVV and PEF were improved significantly after an 8-week aquatic therapy (P≤0.05). According to the results, aquatic therapy in patients with kyphosis is recommended.