The Influence of Pole Exercise on the Range of Motion of Thoracic Spine

Background: The stability of the spine and flexibility of the thoracic cage have been in discussion for long. Authors have continued clinical practice and rehabilitation for various subjects. Among them, we have developed the application of pole exercise for various subjects, leading to the improved flexibility of thoracic spine. Subjects and Methods: Enrolled subjects were 18 adults with an average age of 27.8 ± 2.9 years old. Methods included the continuation of pole exercise by two ways, which are performed on the shoulder and at the armpit. The range of motion (ROM) of thoracic upper/lower (U/L groups) thoracic cage was analyzed using the measurement apparatus, spinal mouse. Results: For the main effect between U/L groups, there was a significant difference in the range of the total ROM. For alternating effect between intervention condition and time, there was a significant difference in ROM (total, flexion, and extension). U-group showed larger ROM compared to the L-group. Discussion and Conclusion: There would be probable some reasons for the difference, which are (i) bucket-handle rotation about a dorsoventral axis, (ii) caliper rotation about a craniocaudal axis, and (iii) pump-handle rotation about a mediolateral axis. These results would become reference data, leading to further research in the future.

著者英表記誤記あり　(誤)Toshifumi Dakashita→(正)Toshifumi Dakeshita

© 2019 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).