Graduate School of Health Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
J Sport Rehabil. 2012 Feb;21(1):63-8. doi: 10.1123/jsr.21.1.63. Epub 2011 Nov 15.
Randomized controlled study.
Laboratory.
26 healthy swimmers randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 13; Ex) or control group (n = 13; Cont).
The Ex group performed respiratory-muscle exercises for 10 min thrice a week for 4 wk.
Respiratory-muscle exercises are used not only in the rehabilitation of patients with respiratory disease but also in endurance training for athletes. Respiration involves the back and abdominal muscles. These muscles are 1 of the elements responsible for posture control, which is integral to injury prevention and physical performance. However, the effects of respiratory-muscle exercise on posture remain unclear.
To examine the potential of respiratory-muscle exercise for improving posture.
Spinal curvature, pulmonary function, and trunk-muscle strength were measured for both the groups at baseline and after 4 wk. The data were compared between the Ex and Cont groups with Mann-Whitney U test and preintervention and postintervention within groups with a Wilcoxon signed rank-sum test.
The spinal curvature was significantly different in the Ex group, indicating a decrease in the thoracic (-13.1%, P < .01) and lumbar (-17.7%, P < .05) angles. The Ex group presented with lower thoracic (-8.6%) and lumbar (-20.9%) angles at postexercise than the Cont group (P < .05). With respect to trunk-muscle strength, only trunk-flexion strength significantly increased from pretest to posttest in the Ex group (P < .05). For pulmonary function, forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1.0 s were significantly increased after 4 wk in the Ex group (P < .05). The results suggest that respiratory-muscle exercise straightened the spine, leading to good posture control, possibly because of contraction of abdominal muscles.
随机对照研究。
实验室。
26 名健康游泳者随机分配到运动组（n = 13；Ex）或对照组（n = 13；Cont）。
运动组每周进行 3 次，每次 10 分钟的呼吸肌锻炼，持续 4 周。
呼吸肌锻炼不仅用于呼吸疾病患者的康复，也用于运动员的耐力训练。呼吸涉及背部和腹部肌肉。这些肌肉是负责姿势控制的因素之一，姿势控制是预防损伤和提高身体表现的关键。然而，呼吸肌锻炼对姿势的影响尚不清楚。
研究呼吸肌锻炼改善姿势的潜力。
两组在基线和 4 周后测量脊柱曲率、肺功能和躯干肌肉力量。采用 Mann-Whitney U 检验比较 Ex 组和 Cont 组之间的差异，采用 Wilcoxon 符号秩和检验比较组内干预前后的差异。
Ex 组的脊柱曲率有显著差异，表明胸段（-13.1%，P <.01）和腰段（-17.7%，P <.05）角度减小。与 Cont 组相比，Ex 组运动后胸段（-8.6%）和腰段（-20.9%）角度较低（P <.05）。关于躯干肌肉力量，只有 Ex 组的躯干前屈力量从测试前到测试后显著增加（P <.05）。对于肺功能，Ex 组的用力肺活量和 1.0 秒用力呼气量在 4 周后显著增加（P <.05）。结果表明，呼吸肌锻炼使脊柱变直，从而实现良好的姿势控制，这可能是由于腹部肌肉的收缩。
