Breathing patterns are an important indicator of an individual’s health. A healthy person breathes naturally using primary respiratory muscles (e.g., diaphragm muscle) that produce rhythmically visible movements of the upper rib, lower rib, and abdomen. This is known as the diaphragmatic breathing pattern, which is associated with improvements in posture, core stability and functional performance, as well as a reduction in musculoskeletal injuries, pain and stress.
In contrast, individuals with altered or dysfunctional biomechanical breathing patterns are unable to contract the diaphragm to the desired extent and begin to rely on auxiliary respiratory muscles to breathe. They show superior chest movement and shoulder elevation, reduced abdominal movements, and lateral chest expansion.
Previous research suggests a strong association between altered biomechanical breathing patterns and the development of musculoskeletal conditions, such as lower back pain, neck pain, chronic ankle instability, and temporomandibular joint disorders.
Superior physical performance and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries are crucial for athletes to achieve their best performance in competitive sports. Evidence from previous studies suggests that athletes with diaphragmatic breathing patterns show improved physical and mental performance. But since athletes with altered breathing patterns may be at increased risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries, identifying the prevalence of altered breathing patterns is of paramount importance to prevent them from developing injuries.
Now a team of researchers led by Dr. Terad of Ritsumeikan University in Japan has conducted a new study, published in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Researchto examine the prevalence of dysfunctional and diaphragmatic breathing patterns in the athletic population and to determine the biomechanical dimensions of these breathing patterns.
The team tested 1,933 competitors from schools in Japan, in various sports and ages during 2017 and 2020, using the Hi-Lo test - a test that identifies one’s breathing pattern. The results for the Hi-Lo test were determined based on the presence or absence of abdominal excursion, anterior-posterior thoracic expansion, superior thoracic migration, and shoulder elevation. The team further classified these participants into thoracic-dominant and respiratory only on the abdomen based on the presence of an abdominal excursion.
The findings show that an alarmingly high percentage (91%) of athletes showed dysfunctional breathing patterns, while only 9.4% of them showed diaphragmatic breathing patterns. In fact, among athletes who played baseball, there was a higher percentage of diaphragmatic breathing than among those who played tennis, basketball, badminton and volleyball. This indicates that athletes’ breathing patterns differ depending on the type of sport they play, as each sport has different energy requirements and limitations.
Moreover, the team noted that the largest share of dysfunctional athletes were high school students, followed by elementary school athletes and high school students. The percentage of student athletes with dysfunctional breathing patterns was slightly lower compared to that.
Furthermore, among the population identified as dysfunctional dysfunction, it was found that 61% of athletes breathe in the chest, compared to 39% of those who breathe only on the abdomen.
These findings indicate a general high prevalence of dysfunctional breathing patterns in the sports population in all age groups, which requires urgent resolution as an important sports-medical issue.
Asked about the implications of these findings, Dr Terada said: “Clinicians should consider screening breathing patterns and implementing corrective approaches targeting specific components of dysfunctional breathing patterns. They should also consider assessing sports breathing adjustments and implementing sports-specific ones. breathing training protocols ”.
The findings also emphasize the importance of the Hi-Lo test in recognizing differences between subcategories (predominantly thoracic and abdominal only) of breathing patterns. Understanding these breathing patterns can help develop individualized intervention plans. Dr Terada says: “Incorporating diaphragm breathing exercises and techniques can have beneficial effects on restoring optimal recruitment and control patterns of respiratory muscle motors, improving the efficiency of breathing biomechanics and reducing psychological stress in athletes with dysfunctional breathing patterns.”