Breathe to Win: Scientists show it’s important to screen breathing patterns in athletic populations
Breathing patterns are an important indicator of an individual’s health. A healthy individual breathes naturally using primary respiratory muscles (e.g., the diaphragm muscle) that produce a rhythmic observable movement of the upper rib cage, lower rib cage, 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 reductions in musculoskeletal injuries, pain and stress.
In contrast, individuals with altered or dysfunctional biomechanical breathing patterns are unable to contract their diaphragm to the desired extent and begin to rely on accessory respiratory muscles to breathe. They exhibit superior rib cage movements and shoulder elevation, decreased abdominal movements, and lateral expansion of the rib cage.
Previous research suggests a strong link between altered biomechanical breathing patterns and the development of musculoskeletal disorders such as low back pain, neck pain, chronic ankle instability and temporomandibular joint disorders.
Superior physical performance and the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries are critical for athletes to perform their best in competitive sports. Evidence from previous studies suggests that athletes with diaphragmatic breathing patterns exhibit improved physical and psychological performance. But since athletes with altered breathing patterns may be at greater 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. Terada of Ritsumeikan University in Japan conducted a new study, published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Researchto investigate the prevalence of dysfunctional and diaphragmatic breathing patterns in an athletic population, and to determine the biomechanical dimensions of these breathing patterns.
The team tested 1,933 competitive athletes from schools in Japan, across multiple sports and ages, in 2017 and 2020 using a Hi-Lo test – a test that identifies an individual’s breathing pattern. Scores for the Hi-Lo test were determined based on the presence or absence of abdominal excursion, anterior-posterior chest expansion, superior rib cage migration, and shoulder elevation. The team further classified these participants into thoracic dominant and abdominal-only breathers based on the presence of abdominal excursion.
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 rate of diaphragmatic breathing pauses than among those who played tennis, basketball, badminton and volleyball. This indicates that athletes’ breathing patterns vary depending on the type of sport they practice, as each sport has different energy needs and limitations.
Additionally, the team found that the majority of dysfunctional breathers were high school student athletes, followed by elementary school student athletes and high school student athletes. The proportion of collegiate athletes with dysfunctional breathing patterns was slightly lower in comparison.
Furthermore, among the population identified as having dysfunctional breathers, 61% of athletes were thoracic-dominant breathers, compared to the 39% who performed only abdominal breathing.
These findings suggest an overall high prevalence of dysfunctional breathing patterns in the athletic population across all age groups, which should be immediately addressed as an important sports medicine problem.
When asked about the implications of these findings, Dr. Terada: “Clinicians should consider screening breathing patterns and implementing corrective approaches that target specific components of dysfunctional breathing patterns. They should also consider evaluating sport-specific breathing adjustments and implementing sport-specific modifications. breathing training protocols.”
The findings also highlight the importance of the Hi-Lo test in recognizing the differences between subcategories (thoracic dominant and abdominal only) of breathing patterns. An understanding of these breathing patterns can help develop individualized intervention plans. Dr. Terada says: “Integrating diaphragmatic breathing exercises and techniques may have beneficial effects on restoring optimal recruitment and motor control patterns of respiratory muscles, improving the efficiency of breathing biomechanics, and reducing psychological stress in athletes with dysfunctional breathing patterns.”
