Pulmonary Function and Work Capacity in the Absence of Physiologic Dorsal Kyphosis of the Spine

¹ Aerospace Medical Laboratory (Clinical), Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
² Wilford Hall USAF Hospital, Aerospace Medical Division (AFSC), Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

Pulmonary function and work capacity were evaluated in nine young adult men with straight thoracic spines noted on inspection and confirmed by x-ray. Subjects with pectus excavatum or scoliosis were excluded. Only one subject had a pulmonic systolic heart murmur. In the straight back group (SB), the observed total lung capacity (TLC), percent of predicted TLC, and FEV_3.0 were reduced significantly (P 0.001) over a control group. There were no significant differences between SB subjects and controls for FEV_1.0, FEF_0-25, FEF_25-75, D_l, or arterial blood gas studies. Working capacity data obtained on a level one mile run and on a treadmill showed no differences from control subjects before and after training. Despite a reduced TLC and a tendency to reduced terminal air flow, the young adult man with absent physiologic dorsal thoracic kyphosis does not have a significant decrease in working capacity and can undergo effective physiologic training.