Chiropractic management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A patient with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease going back more than 20 years was treated with a combination of chiropractic manipulation, nutritional advice, therapeutic exercises, and intersegmental traction. Improvements were noted in forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, coughing, fatigue, and ease of breathing (sign test significant at 0.005 level). Improvement was also noted in laryngospasm. Studies are made and speculation as to the mechanism of the treatment effect is provided.