Effect of manual diaphragmatic release on ventilatory function and functional capacity in elderly type 2 diabetic women: A randomised controlled trial

Background: Elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often experience reduced ventilatory function and functional capacity, which negatively impact their quality of life (QoL), yet effective non-pharmacological interventions remain limited. Objective: To determine the effect of manual diaphragmatic release (MDR) added to aerobic training (AT) on ventilatory function, functional capacity, and QoL, compared to AT alone in elderly women with T2DM. Methods: Sixty elderly type 2 diabetic women were randomly assigned in equal numbers to either the MDR or control group. For 8 weeks, the MDR group received MDR in addition to AT, while the control group received AT alone. Outcomes included measures of forced vital capacity (FVC) and total lung capacity (TLC), 6 min walk test (6MWT), and Diabetic Quality of Life Questionnaire (DQoL). Between-group differences were analysed by ANCOVA. Results: At the end of the study, there were significant group effects for all outcome measures ([Formula: see text]). Adjusted between-group differences favoured the MDR group for FVC (mean [Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.07–5.27), TLC (mean [Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.22–3.33), 6MWT distance (mean [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]m; 95% CI: 10.17–34.99), and DQoL score (mean [Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 0.31–1.57). Conclusion: Adding MDR to AT is more beneficial than AT only for enhancing ventilatory function, functional capacity and QoL in such elderly type 2 diabetic women. However, further studies with larger sample sizes and longer intervention durations are warranted to confirm these findings.