Effects of Adding Yoga Respiratory Training to Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

The investigators applied six different OMT techniques including rib raising, diaphragm release, suboccipital decompression, first rib mobilization, mediastinum mobilization and thoracic inlet myofascial release. Rib raising is used to increase the mobility of the rib cage and to reduce vasoconstriction by regulating sympathetic tone. Diaphragm release is used to increase diaphragm movement. Suboccipital decompression involves traction of the base of the skull. We aim to improve respiration with mobilization of the first rib which is associated with sternum, sympathetic truncus and important vascular structures. Thoracic inlet is an important structure resisting intrathoracic pressure changes during respiration. Finally, the goal of the mediastinum mobilization is to increase the mobility of the rib cage by providing relaxation in the tension of the facial tissues.

Nadishodhana pranayama (Alternate nostril breathing), Ujjayi pranayama (Psychic breath) and Bhramari pranayama (Humming bee breath) were used for the study. Nadishodhana is one of the most common yoga breathing exercises and involves breathing through one nostril while closing the other one. The patients performed 2 sets of 8 breathing cycles with a resting time of 2 minutes between the sets. Ujjayi Pranayama involves soft contraction of laryngeal muscles and the partial closure of the glottis. The patients performed 2 sets of 10 breathing cycles per session with an inspiration:expiration phase as 1:2. Bhramari Pranayama includes a nasal humming sound during exhalation to create slight vibrations on the laryngeal walls, and the inner walls of the nostrils. The patients applied 2 sets of 10 breathing cycles per session with a respiration rate of 3-4/min.