The Effect of Selected Yoga Exercises on Thoracic Spine Alignment and Respiratory Capacity in Children With Asthma

Introduction: People with asthma often have sedentary lifestyles and are less physically, mentally, and cardio-respiratory prepared than their peers. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of selected Yoga exercises on thoracic spine alignment and respiratory capacity indices in children with asthma. Methods: The present research is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. For this purpose, 30 children with mild asthma were included in the study purposefully and voluntarily. The subjects were randomly divided into a control group (15 people with mean [SD] age: 11.40 [ 2.13] years) and an experimental group (15 people with mean [SD] age: 10.60 [1.76] years). Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of the children. Flexible ruler and spirometry were used to evaluate the curvature of the thoracic spine and respiratory capacity, respectively. To analyze the results of this study, we used a dependent t test and analysis of covariance at a significance level of P<0.05. Results: The present study results showed a significant difference between the thoracic spine curvature (P = 0.001) and increased respiratory capacity (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Breathing exercises and asanas of Yoga positively influence the extensor muscles of the chest and improve lung function and postural misalignment in children with asthma. Therefore, therapists, coaches, and exercise teachers are recommended to use Yoga exercises to improve the physical, postural, and respiratory indices of children with asthma.