Background: The Global Postural Re-education (GPR) method seems to be an effective method for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. However, no study has examined its effects on a group of musicians with musculoskeletal pain. Additionally, infrared thermography (IRT) has been widely used in the field of medicine as a monitoring a diagnostic tool, which can provide empirical data about the effectiveness of the GPR method. Objective: To examine the effects of GPR using scales and questionnaires and IRT. Methods: This thesis enclosed two articles. In the first, musicians with (N=6) and without (N=6) musculoskeletal pain underwent a thermographic evaluation to examine the skin temperature asymmetry (STA) between both groups as a representation of musculoskeletal pain. The second article was a randomized control trial and examined the effects of the GPR on a group of 13 participants with musculoskeletal pain (7 experimental, 6 controls) after receiving 8 sessions of GPR. Pain, disability and quality of life data was collected using the VAS, MPIIQM, SF-36. A thermographic assessment was also conducted to examine the correlation between pain severity and degree of STA, and changes in contralateral skin asymmetries before and after the intervention. Results: The first article revealed no significant differences in STA between groups. Results from the second article showed statistical significant improvements in pain, disability and quality of life on the group who received the GPR intervention. Results from the IRT analysis were not significant. Conclusion: Results from the self-report questionnaires suggest that GPR is effective in treating musculoskeletal pain in the targeted group of musicians. Pain changes did not correlate with thermal outcomes. Further studies are needed to confirm the results obtained with IRT.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:18:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseMAMO.pdf: 4078900 bytes, checksum: 4421c9cd008941297c1f599867d52654 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-29 / Stretching by the global postural re-education method (GPR) has been widely used as a physical therapeutic procedure for postural alterations, but its action on the cardio-respiratory system has been little documented. However, scientific evidence is necessary to validate it as an alternative treatment. Within this context, three studies were carried out with the objective of verifying the effect of stretching the respiratory muscle chain in the open-arm, open hip joint angle posture by the GPR method on cardio-respiratory responses. Twenty young (22.7±2.5 years old), healthy, sedentary (VO2max: 30.2±4.3 mL.kg.min-1) men with BMI = 25.3±1.5 kg/m2 were studied, divided at random into two groups of ten: the control group (CG) that did not take part in the stretching and the group submitted to treatment (GPR-G). The intervention consisted of two weekly stretching sessions, each of 30 min, for eight weeks, giving a total of 16 sessions. In the first study, the maximal respiratory pressure and the respiratory coefficient were assessed by way of a manovacuometer and thoracoabdominal cirtometry, respectively. Only the GPR-G presented greater values for inspiratory (IPmax) and expiratory (EPmax) maximal pressures and for axillary, xyphoid and abdominal cirtometry after the intervention period. The results showed that the method caused a beneficial effect on respiratory muscle force and on thoracoabdominal mobility, contributing to an improvement in respiratory mechanics. In the second study, pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry. The manoeuvres of slow vital capacity (SVC), forced vital capacity (FVC) and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) were carried out. The results showed there was a significant increase in the values for SVC, inspiratory capacity (IC), FVC, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and MVV for the GPR-G after the training period, providing evidence that the proposed stretching was efficient in promoting an increase in pulmonary capacity and volume. In the third study, the effect of stretching on the autonomic modulation of the heart rate (HR) and on the ventilatory and metabolic variables was assessed at rest and during the cardio-pulmonary exercise test respectively. The ventilatory and metabolic variables were captured using an automatic metabolic system and the HR using a one-channel heart monitor. The exercise test was carried out using a cycle ergometer, with 20 to 25 W/min increments up to physical exhaustion. Intervention did not change the variables studied either at rest or during the cardio-pulmonary exercise test, for either of the groups. These results showed that the respiratory muscle chain stretching exercise did not promote any adaptations with respect to HR neither at rest and the ventilatory and metabolic variables during the exercise, which could be attributed to the noninvolvement of the major muscle groups in the type of protocol used. Finally, the results obtained in the three studies gave evidence that stretching the respiratory muscle chain by the GPR method was efficient in promoting an increase in respiratory muscle strength, thoracoabdominal mobility and pulmonary function, reflecting in an increase in respiratory mechanics, this fact being attributable to the specificity of the training. In this way, the findings of the present study, reinforce the importance of the GPR method in the maintenance of the functional capacity of the respiratory chain muscles, suggesting that it could be used as an alternative treatment for dysfunctions of the respiratory mechanics. / O alongamento pelo método de reeducação postural global (RPG) tem sido muito utilizado como conduta fisioterapêutica em alterações posturais, porém, sua ação sobre o sistema cardiorrespiratório é pouco documentada. No entanto, as evidências científicas são necessárias para sua validação como alternativa de tratamento. Dentro desse contexto, foram realizados três estudos com o objetivo de verificar o efeito do alongamento da cadeia muscular respiratória na postura rã no chão com os braços abertos do método de RPG sobre as respostas cardiorrespiratórias. Foram estudados 20 homens jovens (22,7±2,5 anos), saudáveis, sedentários (VO2max: 30,2±4,3 mL.kg.min-1) e com IMC = 25,3±1,5 kg/m2, divididos aleatoriamente em dois grupos de dez: grupo controle (G-C) que não participou do alongamento e grupo submetido ao treinamento (G-RPG). A intervenção consistiu em duas sessões semanais de alongamento de 30 min cada, durante oito semanas, totalizando 16 sessões. No primeiro estudo, foram avaliadas as pressões respiratórias máximas e o coeficiente respiratório, por intermédio da monovacuometria e da cirtometria toracoabdominal, respectivamente. Somente o G-RPG apresentou maiores valores das pressões inspiratórias (PImáx) e expiratórias (PEmáx) máximas e da cirtometria axilar, xifoideana e abdominal após o período de intervenção. Os resultados mostraram que o método teve um efeito benéfico na força muscular respiratória e na mobilidade toracoabdominal, contribuindo para a melhora da mecânica respiratória. No segundo estudo, foi avaliada a função pulmonar por intermédio da espirometria. Foram realizadas as manobras de capacidade vital lenta (CVL), capacidade vital forçada (CVF) e ventilação voluntária máxima (VVM). Os resultados mostraram que houve aumento significativo dos valores da CVL, capacidade inspiratória (CI), CVF, volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo (VEF1) e VVM do G-RPG após o período de treinamento, evidenciando que o alongamento proposto foi eficiente para promover aumento dos volumes e capacidades pulmonares. No terceiro estudo, foi avaliado o efeito do alongamento nas variáveis ventilatórias e metabólicas durante o teste de exercício cardiopulmonar e na modulação autonômica da freqüência cardíaca (FC) em repouso. As variáveis ventilatórias e metabólicas foram captadas a partir de um sistema metabólico automático, e a FC a partir de um monitor cardíaco de um canal. O teste de exercício foi realizado em cicloergômetro, com incrementos de 20 a 25 W/min até a exaustão física. A intervenção não modificou as variáveis estudadas em nenhum dos grupos. Esses resultados mostram que o exercício de alongamento da cadeia muscular respiratória não promoveu adaptações na FC e em sua variabilidade em repouso e nas variáveis ventilatórias e metabólicas durante o exercício, o que pode ser atribuído ao não envolvimento de grandes grupos musculares no tipo de protocolo utilizado. Finalizando, os resultados obtidos nos três estudos evidenciaram que o alongamento da cadeia muscular respiratória pelo método de RPG mostrou-se eficiente para promover aumento da força muscular respiratória, mobilidade toracoabdominal e função pulmonar, refletindo na melhora da mecânica respiratória, sendo que tal fato pode ser atribuído à especificidade do treinamento. Desse modo, nossos achados reforçam a importância do método de RPG para manutenção da capacidade funcional dos músculos da cadeia respiratória, sugerindo que a postura utilizada pode ser coadjuvante no tratamento das disfunções da mecânica respiratória.