Assessment of breathing patterns in the context of physical performance in young people

Introduction:
Breathing requires the involvement of accessory muscles, which can result in their overactivity and lead to the occurrence of neck pain, abnormal posture, or impaired mobility and scapular alignment. Abnormal breathing mechanics lead to significant changes of the body posture and functioning by affecting biochemical parameters.

Aim:
The aim of this study was to examine whether the mechanics of breathing can affect the level of physical performance of healthy individuals under the age of 30.

Materials and methods:
40 adults under the age of 30 with no respiratory diseases (20 women, 20 men) were recruited for the study. Chest and abdominal circumference and respiratory rate were measured. Furthermore, the Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) and Cardiac stress test were conducted, and the respiratory pattern was evaluated.

Results:
At rest, an upper-costal breathing pattern prevailed among women, while during activity, most both men and women were breathing in a thoracic pattern. Breathing frequency was, on average higher, and BOLT was shorter in women than in men. Physical performance varied by gender. The diaphragmatic breathing group had a lower average number of breaths taken per minute and a longer BOLT than the upper-costal breathing group. Individuals with shorter BOLT times breathed significantly more often. The average physical performance of diaphragmatic and upper-costal breathing subjects was similar. No significant correlations between age and any of the examined parameters were found.

Conclusions:
The breathing pattern was not directly related to physical performance in adults under the age of 30. The breathing pattern at rest was gender-related. Individuals breathing in the diaphragmatic pattern breathed less frequently, and their control pauses were longer than those breathing with the upper-costal pattern.