Author: Marcin Sikora1, Rafał Mikołajczyk2, Olga Łakomy3, Jakub Karpiński4, Aleksandra Żebrowska3, Sabina Kostorz-Nosal5, Dariusz Jastrzębski5
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, Institute of Healthy Living, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, 72A Mikolowska Street, Katowice, Poland. m.sikora@awf.katowice.pl.
<sup>2</sup> Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, 72A Mikolowska Street, Katowice, Poland.
<sup>3</sup> Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, Institute of Healthy Living, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, 72A Mikolowska Street, Katowice, Poland.
<sup>4</sup> Department of Exercise and Sport Performance, Institute of Sport Science, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, 72A Mikolowska Street, Katowice, Poland.
<sup>5</sup> Department of Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland.
Conference/Journal: Sci Rep
Date published: 2024 Jan 11
Other:
Volume ID: 14 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: 1113 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-51758-5. , Word Count: 276
Proper functioning of the respiratory system is one of the most important determinants of human health. According to current knowledge, the diaphragmatic breathing pattern seems to be the most favourable. However, recent reports indicate that athletes often have dysfunctional breathing patterns, which may be associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries. The influence of the type of breathing pattern on the mechanical airways in athletes has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to determine the characteristics and relationships between breathing patterns and respiratory function in athletes. This study included 69 Polish elite endurance athletes (♂40, ♀29) in different sports disciplines and 44 (♂17, ♀27) healthy nonathletes as a control group. All participants underwent pulmonary function tests (spirometry, plethysmography, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide) with assessment of breathing patterns by the Hi-Lo test. Inspiratory and expiratory resistance (R) and reactance (X) of the respiratory system at a given frequency (5 Hz, 11 Hz, and 19 Hz) were measured by a noninvasive forced oscillation technique. In this study, almost half of the athletes (44.92%) had dysfunctional breathing patterns, although at a lower rate than that in the control group. Diaphragmatic breathing patterns were characterized by higher spirometric, plethysmographic and DLCO values compared to thoracic or abdominal breathing patterns. Similarly, lower inspiratory reactance at 5 Hz (X5%pred.) was observed in the diaphragmatic pattern compared to the thoracic pattern. A diaphragmatic breathing pattern is associated with better pulmonary function test results. However, this study revealed a dysfunctional breathing pattern in almost half of the athletes. These results suggest that the assessment of breathing patterns and the implementation of breathing exercises in athletes are essential to promote proper breathing patterns.
PMID: 38212427 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51758-5